In my experience, having a good list is the best reminder of what I’m aiming to do. I especially like lists that help my writing life. Remember back in school the letter “D” on a test returned from your teacher signified far less than stellar work? For fun, let’s turn that on its head and say “D” can stand for good things, too. Good D words For instance, ideas symbolized by words that start with “D” can drive your writing … Read More »

It’s that time of year again. The humidity of hurricane season with its heavy heat is peaking and the dread seeping from kids (and teachers!) long at summer play is palpable – school is right around the corner. Before jumping into the chaotic maelstrom of another academic year, I find it useful to take stock of my writing life for fear that I lose sight of it over the next ten months. First, I assess where I’ve come this year … Read More »

Do you write by hand in a journal or notebook? Do you compose first drafts on yellow legal pads? Does your desk hold pens and pencils crammed into coffee cups, into spinning organizers, or jumbled in drawers? If you answered yes to any of the above, it’s a sure bet you like to create the old-fashioned way: using a pen or pencil to lay down, in your unique penmanship, one word after another. You let words flow from your mind … Read More »

Since the pandemic and forced time at home, I frequently turn to my writing for comfort and creativity. My composing was going so well for a few weeks, writing chapter after chapter for a new book in record time. Then it ceased. Silence. I became incredibly withdrawn. The virus continued to spread, but my writing groove diminished. After weeks of moping around, I finally took action to uplift my mood and my writing from a dark place. Challenge Accepted I … Read More »

Writer’s block sucks. There’s nothing worse than longing to put words to paper, motivation oozing from every pore of your body, but there’s no inspiration to launch those words into fruition. The frustration is palpable, bitter on the tongue. It’s hard enough to find those fleeting moments of euphoric drive, but to lose those to writer’s block is not only piercing defeat, but a mournful tragedy. What if I told you I had a sure-fire way to get over writer’s … Read More »

Have you ever wondered whether writer’s block is really real, whether it is a true psychological problem that many writers, including myself, often claim thwarts their attempts to freely write their hearts out on the page? I have. What does writer’s block feel like? It feels like a wall, some say, that blocks their path on the writing road, prevents them from moving around it to the other side where they’ve traveled before when they wrote. They say “We want … Read More »