As I wrote in my last post, 2018 was not all smooth sailing. However, things were looking up by the end of the year, and I’m hopeful that 2019 will provide space for some hopes and dreams I’ve been nurturing. I’m not calling these resolutions, because I’m don’t have to change my life to make […]
Productivity
Q2 Spring Projects and Habits
It’s April 2. It’s Monday. It’s the day after a holiday and vacation from school, and it’s the start of the second quarter of the year. Today is the ultimate day for a fresh start on new projects! I always get over-zealous at the start of a new quarter, but spring gets me especially energized. […]
NaNoWriMo 2017: I Did It My Way
Uhh, Leanne, it’s mid-November. NaNoWriMo started three weeks ago. Why are you posting this now? Well, mostly because I’ve been so wrapped up in actually doing NaNoWriMo that I haven’t had time to blog about it. But the lateness of this post also makes a point: you can tap into the NaNoWriMo spirit anytime you […]
Work Smarter, Not Harder
They say if you want something done, ask the busiest person you know, because that person knows how to work smarter, not harder. In American society, we often brag about the amount of time we spend working: “I put in sixty hours a week;” “I can get by on five hours of sleep.” But people who […]
Writing Process: 7 Productivity Boosters
Draft 2 of Blizzard, my novel set during the Blizzard of 1888, turned into something of a beast: it was a complete re-write that took very little material from the first draft. I worked almost exclusively on it from mid-January to mid-May. Along the way, I adapted my writing process and learned some new tricks to help […]
How It Feels When Your Habits Begin “Tightening”
Last Friday night, around 8:00 PM, I was tired. It had been a full day for me and a stressful one for the world. I was ready to get into my pajamas and snuggle with my baby girl on the couch with a mug of tea and some mindless television. Instead, I cleaned the bathroom. Let […]