I’m too old, I’m too tired, I can’t write for hours anymore… But something won’t let me quit writing! Is there a solution? Through a lot of trial and error, I found the solution for me: the 5-Minute Life. It didn’t just revolutionize my writing. You can also break a bad habit, or start a […]
time management
A Parent’s (or Grandparent’s) Writing Schedule
With summer vacation upon us, it seemed like a good time to revisit the subject of writing when you are involved with children or grandchildren. When my children were small–and even as they grew older–I struggled to find a writing schedule that worked most days of the week. After much trial and error, I would […]
Beware the Fuzzies–and Focus!
“How’s your focus?” It’s a question I’ve been wrestling with lately. Last year my calendar was so full of very good things, but I was frequently exhausted and vaguely dissatisfied. (Well, not vaguely actually. It was a very pointed dissatisfaction with the amount of writing I finished on any given day.) My children were grown […]
The Gift of Time
It isn’t my birthday or Christmas or Mother’s Day, but it feels like it today. Why? Because I’ve decided to give myself a wonderful gift now. The gift of time. I’ve been writing and publishing since my kids were babies. They’re in their thirties now, with their own children ranging from toddlers to teenagers. During […]
How the Chunky Method Saved My Life
A couple of months ago, after being sick and traveling and meeting two book deadlines, I stalled when given some unwelcome health news which required tests and more tests. I got really, really behind on an adult mystery, and for hours I would struggle to write, only to throw it all out at the end […]
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 […]
Dismount to Find Writing Time
Several years ago, when I took on a two-year writing project, I knew that something had to give. I already was spending my life constantly trying to squeeze out five more spare minutes. To make the deadline, something (or several somethings) in my schedule would have to be weeded out. “Where’s the dead wood in your […]
Writing During the Holidays
Writing is a challenge in the best of times. During the holidays, the challenge is monumental. Monumental–not impossible! About forty of us are writing through December doing a Holiday Challenge. Even so, we can use all the help we can get. Help is Here! With that in mind, enjoy these articles, all about helping you […]
Writer Imaging (Part 2)
First read Writer Imaging: Your Vision of Success. According to our most reliable sources—happy writers—the “good writing life” is actually dependent on the following conditions: 1. Staying active, writing every day, even if it’s only a journal entry or your Morning Pages, as promoted by Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way. 2. Staying organized. Many writers claim […]
Self-Care Secrets to Creating More Time
Do you feel as if you’re forever running to catch up and keep up? Is finding any time at all to write a challenge for you? Over my thirty years of writing, that has been an ongoing challenge. Often the problem was my lack of boundaries in many areas of my life. (The problem is so prevalent […]