(Published on the ACFW blog page October 31, 2019) I just returned from a research trip in the Yorkshire Dales in northern England, the setting of my historical work-in-progress. It was my second time to stay in this small village, whose buildings date back to the 1600’s. I wrote, I visited museums, and I hiked […]
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Resting and Reflecting Before Re-Aligning
Since I last posted regularly, I’ve written three books (two adult mysteries and one juvenile nonfiction book), traveled, and been sick. The holidays blurred by, to be honest, because one of the book deadlines was December 20th. Two days ago I finished the second adult mystery. One good thing about being sick is all the […]
The Power of Intermittent Recovery
HAPPY NEW YEAR! From the book The Power of Full Engagement: To be an effective energy manager, you need to spend nearly all of your time fully engaged in the high positive energy quadrant or recovering your energy by spending time doing things in the low positive energy quadrant. Definition of Terms The low positive […]
The Writing Life: Stopping "Unintentional Acceleration Syndrome"
Have you ever had the experience of driving a car which suddenly–and for no apparent reason–accelerates? Applying the brakes has no effect. It sometimes happens with certain defects in cars, and while the driver can see the accident about to happen, he is powerless to do anything about it. Symptoms of Acceleration Syndrome Many writers […]
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 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 […]
Saying YES to the Writer Inside You
Maya Angelou said, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” I don’t know about that. I’ve had some bigger agonies in my life than that. HOWEVER, after several years of burying an untold story inside me, I’ve decided to take some concentrated time to get the story on paper. Halting […]