You ARE a Writer A reminder: if you write, you are a writer. Not, “if you get published”. Not “if you’re on the bestseller list”. Not “if you’re an award winner”. You’re a writer if you write.  You may write as a … Continue reading →

Do What’s RIGHT for YOU I read an article about a new author who had a breakdown at a writing conference and left after the first day. She’d felt the full force of imposter syndrome—everyone else seemed so much more … Continue reading →

Writing vs. Publishing I’ve only ever participated in one official run, a 10k fundraiser. I trained and raised money, and was excited—until I got to the starting line and was overwhelmed with the people and the noise. I’d been running … Continue reading →

When Life Gets in the Way My husband was on a business trip when he called to complain that his meetings had gone awry. As the organizer, he felt responsible, but the errors were beyond his control. He was not … Continue reading →

Someone Else’s Agenda My daughter had to prepare a presentation for her work. She put in the time, effort and practice, then, the day before, the meeting was cancelled, with no plans to reschedule.  She was frustrated. She’d worked hard, … Continue reading →

Give Yourself a Break Ever seen a toddler race in the Olympics? Yeah, me neither. It’s a cute thought, right? But one we’d never expect in reality. How could a little person, just learning to walk, compete with grown adults, athletes, … Continue reading →

The Secret When you start something new, it’s easy to feel like an idiot. You may stumble and flail, and show your ignorance. It’s true that many veterans may condescend to new people learning the endeavor. If you’re lucky, you’ll … Continue reading →

Give Up Your Goals Here’s a radical idea: give up your goals.  Seriously.  I didn’t say give up writing, but what if we gave up our “finish line”? By definition, that finish line is in the future, whether it be completing … Continue reading →

Puzzling Out Mosaics I stumbled across a beautiful café, featuring the owner’s mosaics. Even the tables were inlaid with her gorgeous work. That’s when I realized the artist had done what I do as a writer: create a variety of different pieces … Continue reading →

Consumers Vs Creators I was chatting with a friend recently, who had begun to paint again after a long absence from her art.  She explained she felt she had been consuming a lot—news, information, social media—and it was getting her down. “I … Continue reading →