I got home from England late Sunday night after being gone a month. I don’t sleep on planes, plus I ended up delayed in London overnight because of fog. So by the time I got home, I was still operating on UK time and had had only ten hours sleep total in three nights. The […]
Kristi Holl
Borrowing Habits
Back in college, I had a friend who lamented, “If only I could run on my stomach!” She loved to run, never missed a day, and had thighs of steel. She also loved to eat, never missed a snack, and had a stomach like the Pillsbury Dough Boy. If only she could apply her running […]
Writing á la Pavlov
In previous weeks I’ve shared why I went AWOL for months, the need to rest, reflect and realign, how to re-figure your writing output, and how to avoid burnout in the first place. What if you’re ready to write again? You may not have hours every day to write, or you may have tight deadlines. […]
Honor the Writing Process
Every piece of new writing is a voyage into the unknown. There are things you can do that help the writing process–many things! There are just as many that dishonor the writing process. [Reminder: While writing in England, I am re-posting favorite articles from the past. This one from four years ago still helps me […]
Not Enough Willpower to Reach Your Goals? Make Mini Habits!
“Focus on the process and you’ll be able to change your circumstances.” (Stephen Guise, author of Mini Habits: Smaller Habits, Bigger Results) [While writing in England, I am re-posting favorite articles from the past. This one from four years ago still helps me today!] One lesson I learned on my sabbatical was that my goals and […]
Settling In to Write
Time to write. Last week, when my husband was here in England, we saw many incredible historic sights, both locally and in the surrounding towns. I gathered material, bought books, took hundreds of photos and videos, and was only back in the apartment long enough each night to sleep. (Our apartment is the middle and […]
Oh, the Places I’ve Been! (Research, Part 2)
Day Five Lovely day for a train ride to Skipton to see Skipton Castle (900 years old) and its church, plus another older church. (Skipton Castle once withstood a three-YEAR siege.) We walked along the canals–I’d love to take a canal boat trip sometime. We have another train ride and castle planned tomorrow! I love […]
The Most Fun Kind of Hands-On Research: Travel
Research, especially when combining travel and writing, is the most fun a writer can have! I have had two published novels set in England, and I’m back here doing research in the Yorkshire Dales for another one. (Anyone here love veterinarian James Herriot’s books and the BBC TV show “All Creatures Great and Small”? That’s […]
From Panicky and Distracted, to Peaceful and Focused
Right now, I really must be focused. When this posts on Friday, I will be in Houston, waiting to board British Airways to head across the ocean. But less than 24 hours before leaving, I am sitting here fighting panic at everything left to do before we leave. I should have realized this weeks ago, […]
Research Across the Ocean: Heading Back to England!
I thought this week would never get here, and yet the summer flew by, and now I don’t feel ready! I’m taking lots of deep (excited) breaths this week, getting ready to go to England for a month. I was in England two years ago, visiting the homes of Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë, and Beatrix […]