It has been a writer’s perfect week. I wish I had a word for it! A perfect storm (of which I’ve experienced many over the years) is a “particularly bad state of affairs, arising from a number of negative factors,” according to the dictionary. But this week was the opposite: a writer’s perfect week. While […]
organization
Uncluttered Office Equals Focused Mind
Are you ever overwhelmed by clutter (even good clutter)? This will be primarily a photo sharing blog post—and you can skip to the last half of the post if you want to—but I want to share what prompted my office decluttering project. I have a small 10-foot X 10-foot office which holds a treadmill/desk, a […]
The Working Stage
(Last week we started talking about the seven specific stages you go through from beginning to end with a writing project, and the potential for both growth and failure at each stage. First read about the preparation stage, then the germination stage.) The Work-Out Next we have the working stage, the one we’re probably most […]
Germination Phase
[Read about the first phase here: preparing to write.] The second stage, called the germination stage by Louise De Salvo Ph.D. in Writing as a Way of Healing, is a time “during which we gather and work on fragments of ideas, images, phrases, scenes, moments, lines, possibilities for plots, characters, settings. Sometimes we don’t quite […]
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 […]
How to Take Charge of Your Writing Life
Welcome! I’m glad to see that you found me at my new “home.” As promised, starting today I’m giving away a free e-book for frustrated writers. Rx for Writers: Managing Your Writing Space and Your Writing Time is short, but it contains solid advice for three of a writer’s biggest problems: 1. following through on our […]
Three Reasons Your Writing Life Isn't Working–and What To Do
What’s wrong with me? you wonder. Why doesn’t this writing advice work? A third worrisome thought nibbles at the back of your brain: Maybe I’m not a writer after all. Not to worry. I’ve identified three of the most common reasons why writers don’t get their writing done. And I’ve put together an overall solution […]
What's Hindering You?
Are you dragging around excess baggage? Is there “stuff” taking up space that you need to dump overboard so you can pick up some speed? Chasing Dreams I’ve been struggling with this issue lately, and it reminded me of a period in our country’s history. Each spring from 1841-1861 Independence, Missouri, was crowded with thousands […]