Ever hit one of those weeks when you have major brain drain? This is one of those weeks! So this week I’m going to share with you some things I’ve read on other writing blogs lately. Get a cup of tea or coffee and enjoy! Three Ways to Flourish on Mondays talks about some great […]
Month: October 2014
The Necessity of Solitude
Women are givers. Women writers are some of the most giving people I know. We tend to have stronger relationships because of it–with babies, grown children, friends, and extended family. But unless you learn how to balance all this giving with replenishment, you’ll find it nearly impossible to write. Gift from the Sea It has […]
A Writing Retreat with Friends
Retreat… Just saying the word is soothing. While it is taking some planning and shifting of events, I believe I’ll be able to carve out two or three days for a personal writing retreat. Given the price of gas and hotels, though, I’m looking seriously at Judy’s ideas for how to do a retreat at […]
A Writing Retreat Re-Defined
Last weekend I spoke at a writers’ conference, and my last talk was on self-coaching and self-care. If no one else got anything valuable from the talk, I did. I realized as I preached about self-care for writers that my own had slipped badly. That was part of the reason I was talking armed with […]
Jealousy: Conquering the Green-Eyed Monster
Last weekend, I went to a 75th Anniversary showing of “Gone With the Wind” in a local theater. It was a treat! After the Civil War ended, Scarlet OHara nearly starved with her family on their broken down plantation while she burned with jealousy toward anyone who still had money. Later, after marrying Rhett Butler, […]
Writing Fast or Writing Slow: Which is Better?
I’ve always been a fan of writing rough drafts at high speed. Turn off that internal editor! Get those words down as fast as you can! Don’t read anything till you get to the end. And after absorbing Anne Lamott’s classic book on writing, Bird by Bird, I gave myself permission to write really rotten […]
Drains in Disguise
I was wrong–again. For twenty years, I’ve told students and wannabe writers that you have to put the writing first! Do it before other things take over your day. Fight the impulse to clean your kitchen first, or straighten your office, or clean up the mess the kids made before leaving for school. “But I […]
Stuck in the Writing Doldrums?
In the midst of the doldrums, our writing lives come to a standstill. We stop writing, reading craft books and magazines, journaling, critiquing, and researching. There is actually a place near the equator named the Doldrums. Because of shifting winds and calm spots in the area, a sailboat caught in the Doldrums could be stranded […]