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Question. When is it a bad time to be writing a novel? Answer. When I am supposed to be writing a blog post.

On the fourth Monday of every month my alarm goes off at 8am. It reminds me that I have a blog post due that day. Usually I head for my computer and start composing an installment. This week is turning out quite differently.

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The Miracle Morning for Writers: a Review

Hello,

Are you a morning person? A morning writer? I am a person and I am a writer, but I am not yet a morning person or a morning writer.

There’s Always Someone….

Many (many, many) years ago, as a bride, it began to slowly dawn on me that my life as an Air Force wife was going to be significantly different from my former life as a college student in North Dakota.

We were new to the service, living in Japan in a village just outside of Tokyo. My husband had his dream job–flying a C-130 into lands we had only heard of as kids. Our life became fairly routine, as he flew off to Bangkok or Hong Kong and I stayed behind with the other wives exploring the more exotic environment of Tachikawa village and learning the fine art of Japanese flower arranging.

What Bartlett Says…..

 

When I was young—a long looong time ago— my Mother relied on two books to raise my sister and me. The famous Dr. Spock Baby and Childcare book about raising perfect children was not one of them. Her choices were her Bible (of course) and her Bartlett’s. As in Bartlett’s Famous Quotations.

Into the Mind of a Writer

 

This morning I thought a little half-waking word association would kick-start my creativity and produce some book plots or blog post ideas. Half asleep I grabbed my kindle, scrolled through to get to my note app and hastily, one fingered typed the all-important list.  Abandon all reason and come follow along with me.

New Year Writing Goals

How will you fill your squares this year?

It’s that time of year again. A brand new calendar is hung on the wall or added to the planner. All those squares are white, crisp, clean. Empty.

The Three-Bucket System

Recently I listened to Jeff Goins speak for a Self-Publishing summit. If you don’t know Jeff Goins, he has a blog called Goinswriter.com and is the author of The Art of Work and other books. During the summit, he gave a great idea to keep the cycle of writing moving along.

5 Easy Ways to Increase Your Productivity

Writers today are distracted more than ever. Constant bings, dings and rings pull us out of the ‘zone’ all day long. If your smart phone interrupts you and keeps you from getting more work done, perhaps its time to turn off all those settings.

How to Do a DIY Retreat Part II

Other ways to do a retreat would be to set up childcare for a full Saturday or Sunday and with goals in hand, write at a local café or library. If children aren’t a concern, maybe go to a local hotel for one night and check in early and check out late to get the most of a quiet place to write.