Building writing momentum is about starting now, not waiting for the new year! If you’ve ever promised yourself that this year would be your year as a writer, only to find November and December rolling around to once again bring disappointment, you may be tempted to throw up your handsContinue Reading
If you’re a writer, you’ve probably heard that writers and people pleasing don’t usually go together. One is about self expression. The other is about self abandonment. But here’s something I didn’t know until recently: the same traits that make you creative can also make you a world-class people pleaser.Continue Reading
Is writing worth it? If you’ve been working on your book for a long time, or maybe you’ve written and published several books already, you’re probably starting to wonder if all the time and effort you’re putting into this thing called the writing life is actually worth it. Most ofContinue Reading
Writing seasons show up in every writer’s life, and the sooner you recognize them, the easier it gets to keep going without beating yourself up. I’ve been writing for over twenty-five years, and publishing books for more than a decade. Over and over, I see the same pattern: progress comesContinue Reading
Would you decide to be a writer again if you knew the truth about the writing life? Every writer thinks they know what they’re signing up for—passion, purpose, and maybe a little fame if the universe is feeling kind. You picture yourself sipping your favorite cup of coffee while yourContinue Reading
Haunted by writing procrastination? Meet your ghouls. Your writing desk is crawling with them! Clever little time thieves who slip in the moment you sit down to write. And by the time you notice, they’ve drained your writing hours dry. That’s why adding more time never works. Because if youContinue Reading
If you’ve ever googled “how to write more as a writer,” chances are you were hoping to find some magical secret, like a special app, foolproof time-blocking method, or productivity hack that would finally unlock the floodgates. I used to hope for something like that too, or better yet, anContinue Reading
Are you struggling with writing procrastination? You’ve probably had a night like this: after a full day of work, errands, or caring for others, you finally sit down at your desk. You tell yourself, just thirty minutes. You open the document, type a sentence, delete it, try again. Within minutes,Continue Reading
I ask my students a simple question: Who are your heroes? Most say what you’d expect—YouTubers, bands, maybe a pro gamer or two. But recently, one quiet student, just 13 years old, surprised me. She’s one of my music students, not someone I expected to name a writer. “Bonnie MacBird,”Continue Reading
Oh, the dreaded inner critic. Every writer knows exactly what theirs sounds like. It’s the soundtrack to your life, impossible to miss. Your inner critic has the power to stop you in your tracks and hold you stuck for days, months, even years, blocking your creative flow and swirling youContinue Reading
It’s not easy to recover from a writing setback. An email pops up. You open it, and yes, it’s a form rejection. Or maybe it’s a bad review of your newly launched book. Dang it. You thought this was the one that would succeed. How you handle this moment couldContinue Reading
Are you experiencing joy in your writing life? What if the way you feel about your writing life right now—whether it feels like an uphill battle or a deep source of joy—wasn’t just the result of your schedule, your discipline, or your latest Amazon ranking? What if it all cameContinue Reading