Tomorrow night– Wednesday, August 9– I will be hosting a special Twitter chat about personality types! Join using #DIYMFA at 8PM ET. We’ll be chatting about personality tests (like Myers-Briggs, the Enneagram, Big Five, and the Four Tendencies), how the results have changed our self-perception, and whether they’ve given us insight into our writing lives (or other […]
On Bach and Scales: Passion or Purpose?
The Quote “One does not play Bach without having done scales. But neither does one play a scale merely for the sake of the scale.” -Simone Weil, Gravity and Grace The Question Is this quote about purpose, or about passion? If it’s about purpose, I think Weil is saying both that art cannot be created without […]
What’s Making Me Happy In July: a Farm Share and Stephen Colbert
I’m a little late linking up to my writer/blogger friend Sara Letourneau this month for What’s Making Me Happy (WMMH). I wish I could say this post is late because I was busy doing the things that make me happy, but that wouldn’t be the whole truth. Partly, I’ve been spending quality time with family […]
Why You Should Get On Goodreads, Now
While talking to a fellow reader today, I mentioned my Goodreads summer reading list. I expected her response to be something like, “Which books are on the list?” Instead, she said, “What IS Goodreads?” I was flabbergasted. To me, that’s like asking, “What is Amazon?” or “What is Twitter?” But it made me realize that some of […]
What A Writer Does Over Summer Vacation
I went on vacation this past week, and for the first time in years, I didn’t plan to write anything. That in itself is a personal triumph: I’ve finally understood that I need to stop working occasionally, and I need my own permission to do so. I’m an all-or-nothing kind of girl, and sometimes I require […]
7 Reasons To Abandon A Book
It’s the struggle of every reader. We’ve started a book, and for whatever reason, we’re just not feeling it. But we’ve already invested time and money in the book, and it feels like we need our own permission to abandon it. What Does It Mean To “Abandon” A Book? You’re mid-read, and you decide to […]