Novels about tragedy, hope, transformation, and being your best self.
Novels about tragedy, hope, transformation, and being your best self.
When I was about eleven years old, my parents gifted me my first journal. It was a powder blue color. I wish I could remember fully what it looked like, but, alas, I cannot. However, I remember the emotion attached to having it. Back then, my family did not call it a journal. We called it a diary. And my diary had a lock and key. The lock was heavenly. Even at that early age, […]
Why do we love the horizon so much? Ahh… the horizon. Is it the beauty of a fiery, pink-hued setting sun that draws us in? Or is it the gloriously glowing orb that rises to a new day that captivates us most? In the sunset, we see accomplishment, a toning down, a calmness. In the sunrise, we see a newness, a cleaning of the slate, a gateway. Do we need to see the sun at […]
About two weeks ago, I was taking part in a short, guided meditation. During it, the speaker asked participants to imagine the turning points in their life… and suggested visualizing these moments as the connecting dots of an upward trajectory—and the creation of “the map of your life so far.” For many of us, one or two or more of these turning points involve challenges and experiences so painful that we are not sure we […]
Learn how to generate more joy in your life. What does joy feel like? Does joy feel the same for you as it does for me? These are questions that crossed my mind one rainy afternoon when joy seemed distant and a wishful thought. I want more joy in my life, so I wondered if, within reason, or even independent of it, I might set an intention to feel joy whenever I wanted. If I […]
Learn how to enjoy having your creative work critiqued might sound like an impossible assignment, but, in my experience, releasing the dislike or fear is about mindset. As I’ve mentioned in an earlier blog post, the value of creating relationships with critique partners, I remember the jitters that came when first handing off a manuscript for critique. Like most things precious to us, we don’t want to have our work dissected, altered, and criticized. We […]
When friends or family let us down, it hurts. It just does. And there’s no way around the associated pain. It sucks. When friends or family let me down, I can feel isolated, alone… and maybe even feel as if I’m not important to them. So… What to do when Friends or Family Let Us Down? Some say to not have any expectations or to lower them. I think most of us know this is […]
Discover how to describe you without I, me, you, mine, ours. This is a writing exercise I heard about while attending an online summit during the height of the pandemic. I put it in my back pocket. Until now. Here’s my attempt at the exercise, and what I learned: Here’s my attempt at the exercise, and what I learned: Each morning, the day pulls. It brings a golden glow and awakens the senses. Even if […]
I’m published! Now what? Time to just sit back and relax, right? Pardon me while I chuckle… An author’s work doesn’t end when the book goes live—not if she wants her book to be noticed. Without marketing the new release, it’s just lost in a sea of books; an enormous sea. So, off goes the writing hat, and on comes the marketing cap. The writing hat is never far away because the next book is […]
Twenty years ago, my health declined. Skip ahead, and ten years later symptoms had worsened into a disability. I don’t talk about this much because I live my life dealing with my symptoms every day—that’s enough. However, now it seems appropriate to talk a bit about some symptoms that have changed my relationship with words. Pain is a constant companion. It walks with me and sleeps with me. It never leaves me be. You’d think […]
Like so many things we enjoy doing, writing can fade into the background of our busy lives. How do we find time to write? In this post, I’ll share what’s helped me. An important first step is to ask ourselves why we write—taking our time to answer; going deep. A key second step is to take stock of what is making our lives so busy. As the things we collect over time can become clutter in our homes, making […]