For as long as there have been teachers, kids, and writing implements, writing has been used to punish unruly students. Whether it was writing “I will not talk in class” twenty times on the chalkboard or being told to pen a dreaded 500-word essay on “respect” after a too-rowdy assembly, most of us have memories […]
writer's life
When Storms and Direful Thunders Break
Lighting, of course, is an essential part of any stage performance. Usually, the lighting is planned and provided by the play’s director and stage crew. Last week, at a performance at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, something else was at hand. I’d gone with a friend to see of The Two Gentlemen of Verona on the […]
Ten Things I Can’t Live Without as a Writer That Are Conspiring to Kill Me
They say what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. But I’m starting to think what makes me stronger is going to kill me anyway, just for giggles. So here it is, this week’s list of things I can’t live without as a writer, but which I’m certain are going to shorten my lifespan by years. […]
How Are You, Really? Thoughts on Memorial Day
In my inbox, a letter from a fellow writer: “How are you, really?” she asked, not just to me, but to all the writers she knows. She asked because she, too, is living through this time when every week brings a new, devastating knife to our society’s heart. She knew we are all suffering. How […]
10 Easy Ways to Sabotage Your Writing Career
Is your writing going way too well? Confidence high? Productivity off the charts? Well, I’m here to help. Here are 10 easy steps for knocking your writing career into the dirt. Make excuses for not writing. (FYI: social media, making “mood boards,” household chores, and shopping for cute notebooks are all good excuses.) Refuse to […]
Fire Up Your Writing Energy – Bar Scene
Writing can go through seasons—some seasons are hot and fast, filled with fireworks, while others are cold and sluggish, like a Sunday morning in December. After one of those cold, unproductive seasons, getting back to our computers to do some fiction writing can feel like a sun-kissed reward for having survived all those lost gloves […]
