This is Part 2 of an exploration of the new book, Atomic Habits, by James Clear and how habits change the way you think and who you perceive yourself to be. In Part 1, I provided an introduction to Atomic Habits and the reasons that our habits, desirable or undesirable, […]
A MONTH OR SO AGO, I discovered a book that has forever changed how I think about goals and the way I attain them. Two years ago, I wrote a 15-part series titled “Your Best Writing Year Yet!” in which I detailed the methods and tips I have found useful […]
I’VE BEEN THINKING BACK (a sometimes dangerous thing to do) — journaling and reflecting on the activities, achievements, and failures of this past year — in fact, this past decade. After all, what better time to look back with perfect hindsight than year 2020 — a number that doubles as […]
“We build our character from the bricks of habit we pile up day by day.” Zig Ziglar When people ask me about my writing habits and hear that I write every day, they sometimes say, “Oh, I could NEVER do that.” As if it were a choice. But the truth […]
Definition of Critique — noun: a critical estimate or discussion. Examples: a critique of the poet’s work • an honest critique of her art. — Merriam Webster Dictionary Analysis, evaluation, assessment, appraisal, appreciation, criticism, review, study, commentary, exposition, exegesis. — Apple Online Dictionary IF YOU’RE A WRITER, soon or later […]
DO YOU STRUGGLE with getting started or maintaining a regular writing practice? Don’t worry, you are not alone. Clients, students, and readers often reach out to me because they’re having difficulty sustaining a regular writing schedule. And, just like maintaining an exercise program, once they’ve fallen out of practice, getting […]
BEING AN AUTHOR is hard work. And I’m not talking about the writing part of being an author — though writing can be the most satisfyingly difficult work of all. I’m talking about the part that comes after the writing and editing and book production phases — the promotion and […]
THE QUEST FOR BALANCE has been an ongoing theme in my life. I don’t mean physical balance; fortunately, I’ve always been reasonably athletic. I mean balancing the responsibilities with the passions, the “have-tos” with the “want-tos,” the whirlwind of real life with the commitments and goals I set for myself. […]
IT WAS TIME to launch my second memoir, Accidental Jesus Freak, into the world, and I wanted to do it right. When I published Not the Mother I Remember in 2013, marketing had been an afterthought, and I wanted to make a much bigger splash with Accidental Jesus Freak. And […]
LIFE IS FULL of endings and beginnings, each both exciting and bittersweet in its own way. This is why we so widely celebrate the turning of a calendar year — the date itself might be arbitrary, but the beginning of a new year is important to us because of what it […]
TODAY, WE STRADDLE an invisible timeline between two calendar years, one foot raised, prepared to step into the next year. Before we do, let’s engage in a tradition — a worthy one, I think — in which take a look back at the year we’re leaving, to remind us where we […]
HAVE YOU EVER started writing a new piece, only to get stuck editing the first page over and over? Maybe you were writing in your journal and found yourself editing your words, even though no one but you would ever read them. There was that voice in your head — you […]
