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 […]
encouragement
Writing after Major Losses
After I’d been publishing for a number of years, I had an eight-year period where major personal and professional losses piled on each other. During this time, I had four surgeries in thirteen months and took on extra work to pay medical bills. Our teenage adopted child was having severe emotional problems, I went through […]
Writing Life: the Reality
“Life is difficult,” wrote M. Scott Peck in his famous book The Road Less Traveled. “This … is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend it… Once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters.” I’d like to amend Peck’s quote to say that “the writing […]
Writers: Choose Your Friends Wisely
As I pack my bag this week to head off to the “Sharing Our Hope” workshop, I give thanks for the writers I know that will be there and the new writing friends I expect to make. We writers need to nurture our creative sparks, rather than snuff them out (or allow someone else to […]
Silent Sabotage
The writing is flowing, you’re accomplishing your daily word counts, you’re in the flow! Then, without warning, you take a nose dive. You spiral downward to crash and burn. Your writing comes to a screeching halt. Why? Silent Sabotage This phenomenon happens when we least expect it. Silent sabotage comes in many varieties. Here are […]
Learned Optimism
Are you a pessimist? You might be surprised. Choosing to be an optimist, according to author Randy Ingermanson, can change your writing life. Read his article below, reprinted with permission. It’s long–but worth it! (By the way, I whole-heartedly endorse this book, Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life.) What’s Holding You Back? […]
Unlocking Your Potential
Winston Churchill once said, “Continuous effort–not strength or intelligence–is the key to unlocking our potential.” I believe he’s right. Over the years, the writers I’ve seen succeed weren’t the most talented. They were the ones who refused to give up. Plugging Away I pondered that principle last month during NaNoWriMo when I was sick or gone […]
Toxic vs. Supportive Writing Friends
Not long ago, I blogged about how to be your own best writing friend. Sometimes that’s easier said than done because we’re not quite sure what that looks like. So, with that in mind, I want to chat today about the characteristics of toxic writing friends and supportive writing friends. This should help you to… […]
Be Your Own Best (Writing) Friend
Wish you could afford a writing coach to hold your hand and encourage you to write each day? Me too! But if that’s not in your budget right now, don’t despair. You can learn to be your own best writing friend. With Friends Like This… If a friend from your critique group told you “I just […]
Regain the Passion (Part 3)
(First read “Regain the Passion” Part 1 and Part 2.) How to Regain Lost Passion If you were passionate about your writing in the past, but haven’t felt that way for a long time, there is a definite sadness mixed in with the lethargy. It feels like falling out of love, and in a very real […]