I’ve been hoping to be able to make this announcement this autumn and here it is. My newest nonfiction book, The Swirl and Swing of Words: Embracing the Writing Life, is available today, Tuesday, October 29, 2024, in ebook format on Amazon, BN, Apple, and wherever books are sold. An AI-narrated audiobook is available from … Continue reading The Swirl and Swing of Words: Embracing the Writing Life is Now Available
The Writer’s Life
One Tip To Keep Writing (Even When It’s Hard)
Writing Can Be Hard No matter how much I love to write, sometimes it's just hard. I don't mean having writer's block, although sometimes that's an issue too. It can be a challenge to find the motivation, or it can be a challenge to find the time. I've been a professional writer for more than … Continue reading One Tip To Keep Writing (Even When It’s Hard)
Finding My Writing Flow
Mike Tinnion from Unsplash It's Easy to Be Distracted From Writing With all of the stresses in the world these days, there are times when I have to reach a bit to find my creativity. Some days, especially when writing is a struggle, I worry that I have used up every ounce of creativity I … Continue reading Finding My Writing Flow
Room For Freedom When Writing Fiction
Photo by Patrick Tomasso from Unsplash I Was a Guest Speaker for the Lit Mag Love Course! For my first bit of news, on Tuesday, 3/1, I had the chance to participate in a Q&A for Rachel Thompson's course Lit Mag Love, which helps writers who want to submit their work to literary journals. I … Continue reading Room For Freedom When Writing Fiction
Living the Writing Life: Dare To Do Nothing
Photo by Jonas Leupe from Unsplash Seeking a Simpler Life As I've been embracing a simpler writer's life, one of the things I keep hitting against like a brick wall is the pressure I put on myself to create a miles-long to-do list. There are so many things I want to write and edit and … Continue reading Living the Writing Life: Dare To Do Nothing
Living the Writing Life: Being Honest About What You Need
Photo by Mark Paton from Unsplash Productivity Can Be Over-Rated We’ve all become so geared toward doing more, achieving more, producing more that we forget to be honest with ourselves about what we really need, especially if what we need has changed. It wasn’t that long ago that productivity was all the rage. Everyone declared … Continue reading Living the Writing Life: Being Honest About What You Need
Living the Writing Life: Those Dreaded Supposed Tos
The Las Vegas Strip with a snowy background. Self-Acceptance Plays an Important Role in Creativity Accepting my life as it is, not as I wished it to be, has been an important part of the process as I learn to revel in this creative skin I’m in. However, like everything else that is worthwhile, acceptance … Continue reading Living the Writing Life: Those Dreaded Supposed Tos
What Exactly is the Writing Life?
What Does it Mean To Live a Writing Life? I’m not sure that being a writer or living a writer’s life are necessarily the same thing. We can be writers without pining for a writer’s life. And please note that while I’m talking about writing, you can fill in the blank with any artistic endeavor. … Continue reading What Exactly is the Writing Life?
An Artist Date: The Van Gogh Immersive Experience
It's Important To Take Yourself on Artist's Dates Since reading The Artist's Way I have made a point of having artist's dates. According to Julia Cameron's website, "The Artist Date is a once-weekly, festive, solo expedition to explore something that interests you...Artist Dates fire up the imagination. They spark whimsy. They encourage play. Since art … Continue reading An Artist Date: The Van Gogh Immersive Experience
My Favorite Books About Writing
As I've been adding the finishing touches to my first nonfiction book about writing historical fiction, I've been thinking about the writing books that have inspired me over the years. There are too many to name in a short blog post, but here are a few I go back to again and again. Writing Down … Continue reading My Favorite Books About Writing