Life’s Short–Smile for the Camera
A friend of mine (an award-winning photographer) offers professional headshots at the writers' conference I attend yearly. She does beautiful work and has photographed many of my writerly friends. Her camera is at the ready each year, yet I am…
Midwinter Update From the Writing Desk
Hello, friends. It's been a while. We're nearly halfway through February already, and there's been a lot going on behind the scenes here. I was blessed to be able to travel to...
We’re All Done With Santa Claus, and I Have Big Feelings About It
Last week, the final Santa Claus believer in our house hung up his red hat trimmed in white. Our 11-year-old son and his father had a man-to-man talk on their way to the grocery store. My husband opened up by…
Spring Update from the Writing Desk
Good gracious! It's been a long winter. Spring slips in and out, teasing us with her balmy weather and earthy scent. Winter grapples with her, wanting to throw a few good freezing jabs our way before he finally relents and…
It’s Been a Year: Lessons from 2021
As 2020 came to a close on this day last year, I exhaled a prayer of thanks. It was, after all, an awful year. As ever, December is a month of anticipation, reflection, and hope for me. Looking back to…
Escaping the Dungeon of Self-Doubt
Three years ago, I started writing a manuscript. It was a story idea that had been knocking around in my head for a couple of years. Unfortunately, I wrote myself into a corner.
Choosing Present Over Productive
My family just returned from a two-month road trip. Seriously, the stuff of dreams. After 18 years of teaching, my husband and I finally had a 100% work-free summer and traveled the country with our children. It was pure magic.…
3 Things I Learned So Far in 2021
Unbelievable to think we are well into April already, isn’t it? While 2020 crawled along like a wounded animal to the new year, this year seems to be the opposite. We’re bounding ahead on the calendar and everyday life is…
You Can’t Drive a Parked Car
Momentum is hard to come by sometimes. External circumstances, internal conflict, or a combination of the two often keep us in "park" when we should be "driving" in life. And I'm getting tired of it.
The Wisdom of Bob Ross for Writers
Bob Ross was much more than a source of painting entertainment. He was a fount of wisdom, much of which applies to writers...
