When my neighbor hollered at me over the fence, I was annoyed. Couldn’t she see I was deeply in my writing process? As the calls persisted, I realized what she was seeing might be a bit misleading. I wasn’t at my computer or furiously scribbling on paper. I was sprawled on the hill in our backyard with my eyes closed, the ... continue reading
Finding Your Quotable Self
I use quotes a lot. When I wrote my Backyard Pearls book, I started each chapter with a quote. I read quotes in my writing process teleclasses. I have whole files of quotes categorized by topic on my computer. So when I started creating the schedule for my next writing retreat, of course I began looking for quotes for just ... continue reading
Writing is Messy
The other day I was sitting in a discussion group when a woman walked in wearing a pale pink “Life is Good” t shirt. She seemed in a good mood… until suddenly she looked down and realized that there were food stains on her shirt. Mortified, she started making excuses, saying that she always left home with clean shirts, she ... continue reading
How to Finish
Do you know the difference between a finished and unfinished project? I can tell you in one word. Staying. I know that seems rather obvious. If we throw up our hands and quit, whatever we are writing or doing just doesn’t happen. But it’s even deeper than that. Author Leo Babuta says that the key to mastering and finishing ... continue reading
A Winter’s Creative Hibernation
It is 72 degrees right now, in January no less, and I am sitting in paradise. In my own back yard, with the rye grass a spring green, a bee strolling across my day planner, my dog laying next to the patio sniffing the air. Ahhhh… It feels like such a long ahhhh… because it feels almost as if I’ve been in a 3 month ... continue reading