“It wasn’t that she didn’t have a satisfying life–an exciting life, even. It’s just that at thirty-six years old, she’d hoped for . . . more.” Kendall Haynes in Catch a Falling Star There are many stages to writing a book. The initial spark of an idea. The fast-draft. The rewrite — and all the edits after that, leading up to …
In Others’ Words: Youth
I attended a writers retreat in Monterey, CA last month. The theme? Dream Big. There was a lot to love about those three days. Just look at that first sentence again: I was at a retreat. With other writers. In Monterey. But the encouragement, the time, to dream and dream big? I don’t want to forget that. And then I came …
In Others’ Words: Muscle
What does it take to be a writer? I’m really looking forward to y’all joining the conversation today. Readers, I’d love to know what you think it takes to be a writer — what kind of “muscles” need to be developed? Writers, author Natalie Goldberg says we need the “muscles” of determination, attention, curiosity, and a passionate heart. What do …
In Others’ Words: Glass
I knew what today’s post was going to be about last Friday. I thought about the whole “glass half full” versus “glass half empty” mindset all weekend long. Me? I used to be a “glass half empty” gal. Somedays I wasn’t even sure there was even more than a drop of water in the glass. Two things changed my perspective: …
In Others’ Words: Nonsense
Sometimes I have to remind myself to have fun. Relax. Stop being so, so serious. Yes, there are deadlines to be met. Children to raise. Problems to be solved. (Insert yours here: ____________.) But there has to be time for laughter. Nonsense. A little bit of “what if” and “why not.” All the “shoulds” waiting for your time and attention? …
In Others’ Words: Author Whispers
Writers try to get so many things right. We try to figure out when to follow the rules — and when to ignore ’em. We try to make our fictional characters true to life so that readers talk out loud to them as they turn the pages of our novels. (Come on, admit it! You’ve done it too!) We try …
In Others’ Words: From Here to Eternity
I often talk about my pursuit of the To Do list. I have to admit, crossing things off that thing gives me such a feeling of satisfaction. For that moment in time, I know I’ve accomplished something: met a deadline or finished laundry or made that all-important phone call. But the days — the moments — I’ve stayed true to …
In Others’ Words: Refusal
Last Monday’s blog post, “Hope and Having,” spurred a lot of conversation — including a fun bit of back and forth with my friend I call “Wise Guy.” If you’ve read this blog for a while, you’ve probably heard me mention “Wise Guy” before. I call him that because … well, he is a guy who is very, very wise. …
In Others’ Words: Writing Road
Just having a bit of fun here today. I read this quote and thought: Where else does writing lead to? Writing leads to … late nights and little sleep. Writing leads to … the red pen. (I’m an editor. What did you expect?) Writing leads to … a serious break with reality sometimes. (The voices in my head are talking …
In Others’ Words: Hope and Having
I almost didn’t post this quote today. I couldn’t decide if I liked or not. If I agreed with it or not. And then, while I was talking with my husband about what Epicurus meant, I distilled the quote down to one word: Now. Good ol’ Epicurus was reminding people to live in the now — not wasting today by …