I love what author Bob Greene says in “Free entertainment, for life,” an article on CNN.com. It resonates with everything in me. “Are you a person who loves to read books? If so, you’re set for life.” Good News for Book Lovers At first, Greene lists the “not so cheery” conditions of the current writing […]
Kristi Holl
How to Create the "Not To-Do" List
Back in March, I wrote about pruning some things from life in order to have more time to write. (See my former post “The ‘Not To-Do’ List”.) In order to make time for anything new in your life, it requires some necessary endings. Help Is on the Way So I was thrilled yesterday when my […]
Ultimate Easy To-Do List
Although I am thrilled with the time management system I blogged about on Monday, there are simpler methods out there. A writer friend sent me the link to a free online system called LazyMeter. It’s easy to learn the LazyMeter system, it’s fun, and it has a great feature that lets you put a task on […]
Tug of War in Finding Balance
In the Margin book, Richard Swenson, M.D. talked about the tug-of-war in our everyday lives and the challenge of finding balance. The Balancing Act I don’t know about you, but I feel a constant tug-of-war between choices. Should I work now, or relax a bit? Should I take action, or should I think about it more? […]
For the Love of Words
I’m always shocked when people tell me, “I don’t like to read.” And I used to be stunned when wannabe writers told me that. What poverty! I can’t imagine what life would be like if I didn’t love words. For So Many Reasons How do I love words? Let me count the ways: When I’m happy or […]
Friday Follow-Up
Wednesday’s blog entitled “Unhappiness: A Positive Sign” sparked more private email than usual! Glad it got you to thinking about this. The tension you feel at the beginning of a project–that itch to “go for it!”–seems like a positive sign to me. So what is the “unhappy” part those authors were talking about in their […]
Food for Thought
When I read nonfiction books, I underline important parts. Next to very important sections, I put a star. If the passage really touched something deep in me, it gets a star within a circle. Over the holiday weekend, I had the pleasure of a couple free hours that I spent re-reading some “star-within-a-circle” portions of […]
For Your Holiday Weekend
When you take a break on this hot Fourth of July weekend, try some of these articles. They’ll keep you in a writing frame of mind! What If You Think You Might Be a Mediocre Fiction Writer? Every novelist hits the point, sooner or later, where they think they just might not actually have any talent. What do […]
Uncommon Perseverance
The last two weeks we’ve talked about the stages of success. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the one quality that is a “must have”: perseverance. According to the dictionary, “perseverance” is steady persistence in a course of action, especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement. This year I worked with a young […]
Stage Five: Bull's-Eye
You made it! This is the stage where you look around and can hardly believe it. You’re finally living your writing dream! You have dreamed of this day for months–or decades. If you started down the road to success right after college when you didn’t have a family to support or attend to, you could […]