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January 23, 2018January 23, 2018Leave a CommentBlog

Are You in Denial? Good!

I’d been looking forward to the visioning workshop for a few weeks. It was an annual event hosted at my spiritual center and would be held after Sunday services. The day of the event I made all the necessary arrangements to be gone all day: I scheduled a dog walk, made a lunch, and took an Uber so my son could have the car for the day. I was ready to vision my new year!

What I’d forgotten to do was pre-register. As the church service was concluding, the pastor announced that the workshop was sold out. I felt myself caving with disappointment, followed quickly by outrage. It can’t be sold out! I’m supposed to go!

December 27, 2017December 27, 2017Leave a CommentBlog

Is It Me, Or Is It Getting Dark In Here?

This month marks the winter solstice, the shortest, darkest day of the year. It’s a time to turn inward and allow the shadows to loom up and over us while we patiently, trustingly wait for the light. It’s fitting then that when I wrote last week about some of my challenges as a single mom, I heard from readers who were remembering their own dark times.

Three women shared with me why it’s particularly hard to hold the light around the holidays:

December 18, 2017December 18, 2017Leave a CommentBlog

What’s The Gift You Need Most This Year?

Today I want to write about something I’m pretty sure I can’t put into words. I realize that sounds crazy and it probably is.

But isn’t that the fascination behind writing–that desire to brush against the ineffable? To come as close as possible to defining the formless?

It is for me. And since Christmas is the time of year when we make lists of the things we want, I started thinking about those desires of our hearts that we don’t write down, specifically the longings we don’t realize we have until something strikes a chord within us.

November 29, 2017November 29, 20171 CommentBlog

Just a Thought: A Rhyme on Writer’s Block

This poem was written by my friend Vince Reidsma, who has been penning rhymes for the Holland Sentinel every week for 27 years!

November 20, 2017November 20, 20171 CommentBlog

Live First. Then Write.

It was my first time facing a group of millennials and I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was serving as a panelist at the Indiana University Media School Career Day. As an alumna with a journalism degree from IU, I was there to talk about writing careers.

How would I relate to a generation steeped in technology and global influences when my college memories included snail mail, interviews conducted on landlines, an electric typewriter, and learning to “burn” and “dodge” photos in a darkroom?

November 13, 2017November 13, 2017Leave a CommentBlog

3 Ways To Massage Your Creative Muscle

I was lying face down in a dimly lit room, listening to the sounds of a harpsichord or sitar or something equally soothing, willing myself to be soothed. I’d been looking forward to this massage all week. I’d finally convinced myself that I deserved it and that I would not, under any circumstances, regret the expense. It wasn’t regret that followed me into the room, but a sticky cloud of anxiety.

Why did I drink coffee before my appointment? And why, why, why did I get on Facebook? I should have known better than to start my day wading through negative stories.

Updated on November 13, 2017November 6, 2017Leave a CommentBlog

Peace Be With You

I’ve mentioned before that I work with a coach. Recently he had me take a “needs assessment.” I thought it might be like one of those quizzes in Cosmopolitan magazine, revealing that I need to buy more silky blouses, or light a scented candle. Or maybe it would be similar to a “love languages” test and tell me what I already know, that I need a lot of hugs.

I was surprised to learn that my number one need is for PEACE.

Updated on September 13, 2017September 11, 2017Leave a CommentBlog

10 Indispensable Writing Tips From Famous Authors

“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”
–Ernest Hemingway

“Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.”
–E.L. Doctorow

And more….!

July 13, 2017July 13, 2017Leave a CommentBlog

2 Reasons Writing About Joy is Such a Drag

Do you ever wonder why asking “How are you?” continues to be such a common greeting? It’s like opening a door to a shadowy room. You never know what will come out. You’ll learn about aches and pains, work stress, annoying family members, or sometimes just get slimed with general ennui.

And being the one asked is just as fraught. You want to be positive, but the urge to trot out your woes is so strong. Attentive ears can be hard to come by, and if you’re being honest….

June 25, 2017June 25, 2017Leave a CommentBlog

The Dirty Little Secret About Being a Writer

I’m not proud of the fact that there are unwashed dishes in my sink, a pile of unfolded laundry on my bed, or a family of dust bunnies under my dresser. But I’m writing. And when my writing time increases, my usually high cleaning standards take a dramatic fall.

My dirty little secret is that, in order to write the way I want to, I have to allow myself to be a little slovenly. I have to accept that the blocks of time spent staring out the window, taking meandering walks, even dumping clean clothes on the bed, becoming distracted, and wandering away are part of my creative process.

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