Walking is great for writers. I talked about it in a previous post (“What Famous Writers Know About Walking”), and shared some great quotes from famous authors like J. K. Rowling and Charles Dickens. In general, writers love walks not only because they provide an easy and enjoyable way toContinue Reading
My family and I took a trip to Alabama one year to see my younger brother, who was attending military school there at the time. We went out to lunch at a cute little restaurant, and when the waitress asked if we wanted something to drink, I requested, as IContinue Reading
Congratulations to Alexandria and J.P.—you are the giveaway winners! Today’s demands on writers and other creative artists are overwhelming. Ever since I started “Writing and Wellness” back in 2014, I’ve heard stories from writers and other creative artists about their number-one difficulty: finding time to write (or create). I understoodContinue Reading
Most writers, no matter their level of success, want to improve. When you think about your next story, you probably want it to be better than the last. To make that happen, you may hire an editor, take your story to a writing group, or study up on things likeContinue Reading
When you think of a book club, you probably think of it as a potential avenue for marketing your books. Writers want readers, after all, and where better to find them than book clubs? This post isn’t about marketing your book, though. This is about how book clubs can benefitContinue Reading
Are you finding that you lack energy for writing? Do you struggle to focus, or engage in a daily battle with brain fog? If you find yourself feeling that way at the start of your designated writing time, there’s one thing that may help more than you think: drink aContinue Reading
You sit down for a blissful hour of writing. You carved out this time and everything worked out perfectly. You’ve got a private place to work, your favorite tea (or other drink) beside you, and your work-in-progress pulled up on your laptop. An hour later, you’ve managed little more thanContinue Reading
How can you attain optimal creativity in your writing life? It’s all about motivation. Think for a moment: What motivates a person to want to climb Mount Everest? The task is difficult, near brutal, and several people have died doing it. I wondered why someone would spend all the moneyContinue Reading
Deadlines. Marketing. Sales. Reviews. Social media. There’s no shortage of stress in a writer’s life. In addition to all we have to keep up with, there’s the inevitable emotional roller coaster. Agent signs with you. Up! Publishers don’t bite. Down. Publisher signs. Up! Bad reviews. Down. Good reviews. Up! Writer’sContinue Reading
I love getting writing book recommendations from other authors, so I thought Writing and Wellness readers might like to know which books I keep on my writing desk. The following 10 are earmarked and broken-backed because I turn to them so often. Maybe one of these needs to be onContinue Reading
A writing comfort zone is…comfortable, but rarely leads you to success. Actor Dan Stevens (“Downton Abbey”) is quoted as saying, “The comfort zone is the great enemy to creativity; moving beyond it necessitates intuition, which in turn configures new perspectives and conquers fears.” Yet comfort zones are so alluring! WritersContinue Reading
When I was a kid, I used to wake up, terrified, on the floor in my room. After I realized where I was, I would experience a flood of relief, followed by an intense fear of going back to sleep. I could remember my nightmares vividly, vicious, violent experiences whereContinue Reading