I saw part of an original Star Trek episode the other day that got me thinking about our “dark sides.” It’s the episode where a transporter malfunction splits Captain Kirk into two people. Called “The Enemy Within,” it follows the story of the two as they display unique characteristics. SeemsContinue Reading
Writing doesn’t seem like a physically taxing job, and compared to lumberjacks or professional athletes, it isn’t, but it is challenging. As a writer, most of your time is spent sitting at a desk or in a coffee shop with a laptop, staring at an artificially lit screen. It wreaksContinue Reading
Do you have a pain-free, healthy writing space? We all know that spending too much time in the wrong chair can set you up for a lot of pain. The answer has to be finding the right chair, right? And there is no shortage of options out there. The gurusContinue Reading
They say that memory and emotion are deeply connected to our olfactory senses. Wandering through the grocery store not too long ago I caught a sudden scent of perfume and was instantly whisked backward in time, to the summer I worked in Park County, Wyoming and shared a single bathroomContinue Reading
Have you given your creative power away? Let’s find out. Imagine for a moment you’re a character in a fantasy novel, and at the very beginning of the story, you’re given the power to write. There you are in your cool leather outfit walking around with your writing power, andContinue Reading
For me the biggest physical challenge of writing is also my biggest emotional challenge: the alone time and the isolation it requires to write. You see, I am an extrovert. I am that person who when you introverts are sitting quietly alone at a coffee shop, shatters your solitude withContinue Reading
My best friend of thirty years was not doing well, both emotionally and physically. She’d been through a lot over several years and I knew I was losing her (the cancer she had at thirty came back, and she passed away). She and I, along with two other friends, spentContinue Reading
There are a lot of exhausted writers out there. We all need between 7-8 hours of sleep per night for good health. Less than that has been linked to an increased risk of obesity, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and even early death. Writers are creative folks, and need their sleepContinue Reading
When I was younger, I would hear other writers talk about how sitting at their writing desk for long periods made their joints stiff. I couldn’t relate to their pain at the time, but now that I’m in my forties I know exactly what they were talking about. With allContinue Reading
There are several things writers need to learn that we can learn from smart moms. After all, how often have you, as a writer, called your book your “baby?” A lot of us do it, because we put so much of ourselves into our work. We talk about “conceiving” ideas,Continue Reading
by Marcia Yudkin When I lived in Boston as a work-at-home writer, I stayed trim and lean despite having no exercise plan. The Boston Public Library was a 20-minute walk away, and ditto for Star Market, which I’d visit every other day to keep our refrigerator and pantry stocked. BecauseContinue Reading
Ask a writer about his or her pets and you’ll likely hear a story of long-term friendship and love. We spend a lot of our time alone with our computers, so it’s likely that we, perhaps more than others, appreciate the benefits our pets bring into our lives. They areContinue Reading