by Ulrike Selleck Have you ever considered yourself a cosmic writer-creator? I certainly hadn’t! Most of us think of ourselves as localized identities, beings with ups and downs. Lack of inspiration. Fatigue or burn out. Low energy, or even depression. Writer’s block. Self doubt. Perfectionism. Insecurity, and lack of self-confidence.Continue Reading
One of the things writers must do if they want to improve is to get feedback on their work. The wrong type of feedback, however, can destroy a story, and worse, break a writer’s spirit. How can you tell the difference between the right and wrong type of feedback? AndContinue Reading
What is your true motivation for writing? That thing that gets you out of bed to write early in the morning or keeps you going late at night to get that next chapter done? What picks you up off the floor after a devastating rejection or bad review? You mayContinue Reading
You have dreams of becoming a real “author.” But how do you get there? Here’s how it usually goes. You create a story and take it somewhere for feedback, maybe to a writer’s group, some writing friends, a contest that offers critiques, a workshop, or an editor. Your ultimate goalContinue Reading
What is the key to persevering in the writing life? Successful writers will tell you to just hang in there and keep going. Conference speakers encourage you to never give up. Writing friends remind you that no writing journey is easy, and we all have to get through the difficultContinue Reading
by Benjamin Sobieck Six months after I gave up drinking coffee, I started a business selling coffee online. You’re not the only one surprised. At the beginning of 2018, when most people make resolutions for the coming year, I gave up drinking caffeine. This had nothing to do with wantingContinue Reading
September 13 is “fortune cookie” day. When I read this, it got me thinking about the fortune cookies I’ve enjoyed over the years. The older ones were definitely better. They were more like actual fortunes—“a very attractive person has a message for you”—rather than today’s more inspirational sayings, like “aContinue Reading
In honor of Independence Day, I thought it might be cool to reflect on the pros and cons of being an independent (or freelance) writer. I’ve been a professional writer for over 21 years, and an independent writer for 18. What I mean by that is I have my ownContinue Reading
What’s your first reaction when you run into a writing problem? Do you call up a writing friend? Turn to a favorite craft book? Send your pages off to a book doctor? Bang your head against the wall and try again? You may have tried these methods and more, whenContinue Reading
What would you think about showing yourself some self-love on Valentine’s Day? Writers spend a lot of time going through critiques, learning about our weaknesses, enumerating our flaws, dealing with less-than-awesome reviews, trying to do better, and feeling like we come up short. I think we could all use justContinue Reading
Did you set good writing goals for the New Year, or did you set goals that will only discourage and delay your progress? I talk a lot about goals in the Writing and Wellness “Start the Year off Right” bundle, which you can download for free here, but I thoughtContinue Reading
I had the pleasure of playing French horn in a recent local theatrical production of “The Little Mermaid.” The typical process goes like this: the orchestra meets a few times on their own to become familiar with the music, then the orchestra meets with the actors/singers to go through theContinue Reading