Writer’s block can be frustrating when you’re facing a blank screen. As the cursor blinks in anticipation of your forthcoming syllables, it can seem a bit accusatory, if not contemptuous. What would you say if I told you there’s a way to write without writing? A life hack that I recommend to busy clients when encouraging them to increase their blogging activity is that they use dictation applications instead of writing. People traditionally speak faster than they type. It’s also…..
Today is writer Virginia Woolf”s birthday. Born in Kensington (a London residential district) 140 years ago, her writing remains as relevant today as it was when she first committed her thoughts to paper. This quote of hers in particular resonates with me as a writer: “If you do not tell the truth about yourself you cannot tell it about other people.” ― Virginia Woolf Writers are observers, and while some writing can be classified as nonfiction, all writing that has…..
Somewhere during my mid-40s, I read a book by Pema Chödrön that describes the charnel ground. If you aren’t aware of this term, it refers to an open-air crematorium of sorts, where bodies are left out in the open to decompose naturally—usually connected with Hindu or Buddhist cultures. The charnel ground is full of profound transpersonal significance. It represents the ‘death of ego’ and the end of: • Attachment to this body and life • Craving for a body and…..
What kind of cook are you? The “measure-y, by the book” sort or the stir, sniff and sample sort? For what it’s worth, I think that not only does each approach have merit, but there are certain times when it pays to err on the side of the extreme of either. When I was a little girl, I used to perch on a stool in my grandma’s kitchen and watch as she cooked dinner for us. My knees drawn up…..
At the turn of the year, I ask you to take stock of everything that is going WELL in your life right now. If you’re having a difficult time thinking of anything, here’s one thing to consider: if you can read this, you have access to the internet and the ability to read. This isn’t my attempt to “doom shame” you, and it isn’t meant to minimize the extreme suffering experienced by millions of people this year. However, it is…..
It has been a terrible, deadly year. Every year brings its share of death, poverty and sadness, but 2021 has been a catastrophic time for almost all of us on this planet. Not only has the death and pain been so widespread, it didn’t have to be this way. It was made possible and exacerbated by the cowardice and greed of a handful of people who valued financial wealth above the lives of millions of their fellow human beings. I…..
Welcome to the last week of 2021. Making it this far is definitely an achievement and something worth celebrating. New Year’s Day is traditionally a time when people set goals and intentions, designed to shape and change their lives. Like most people I know, including Yours Truly, they prefer to know where they are going. To use a hiking analogy: using a compass keeps us on course; and when visiting a new city, we rely on maps. There is a…..
The picture above is of me at approximately 29 years old. Two of my daughters are with me outside the daily newspaper where I worked—my oldest daughter is probably inside the building, chatting up the reporters in the newsroom. My youngest daughter recently posted it on her Instagram (she’s the baby in the picture). She is currently 29; her older sisters 30 and 34, respectively. What follows is a bit of introspection and work-in-progress exposition for my next book. I…..
One of the best features of Twitter is the opportunity to connect with other people around a specific topic via online chats using a hashtag to “sort” the conversation stream apart from the rest of the flow of general tweets. These interactions expand my horizons, introduce me to other minds and concepts and also give me an opportunity to refine my thoughts about any given topic. Today’s post is about blogging, but more specifically, what inspires us to write. There…..
How many of you are good at giving compliments? How many of you are good at graciously accepting them? If you’re like most people, it’s easier for you to give a compliment than it is to receive one. Know this: when you minimize or refuse to accept a compliment, you are insulting the giver and telling yourself that you are not worthy. Am I being harsh? Nope. As a writer, I love words. I love how words convey meaning, mood…..