The other day, a non-writer friend of mine complimented me on how I was able to complete a certain writing project on top of my other work. Being naturally dismissive of compliments, I responded, “Oh, writing comes easy for me.” And then I wondered why I had just lied to my friend. Writing doesn’t come easy […]
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Love Your Day Job
One morning last week, I woke up to a rejection in my inbox. I’m as accustomed to these emails as any writer, but this was a particularly rough moment for me. I’d been riding high, because several agents have requested my full manuscript recently, and I was hoping that meant an offer would be coming […]
What Work/Life Balance Really Means
Here’s what I don’t understand about the term “Work/Life Balance.” What is work, and what is life? If we spend roughly 40% of our lives working, then isn’t work one of the greatest parts of our lives? Work/family balance, or work/home balance might make the term clearer; but what if your […]
Important Habits For A Creative Life
When you think of a creative person, what comes to mind? An artist who follows her muse and sleeps until noon? An advertising executive staring at the wall of his office? What about the rest of us, in ordinary jobs, living ordinary lives? Is creativity important, and is it a tool we can use just as […]
I Am My Own Educator
I’m going to confess something to you. Sometimes I feel like I’m not a “real” writer, because I don’t have an MFA. I am fortunate to have two degrees from wonderful education programs, one in music, and the other in humanistic and multicultural education. I have also taken classes from many excellent writing institutions. But […]
Are You NaNo-Ing?
It’s National Novel-Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)! Writers, are you NaNo-ing? Non-writers, what do you think about this annual tradition? I am not participating this year, nor have I ever done so. I’m not going so far as to say I’ll never NaNo because I’ve often found myself revoking the “nevers” in my life. But right now it’s […]