by Virginia Jensen I first became interested in beadwork because I had moved to a new city and was out of a job. I ended up working part time at Michaels craft store demonstrating products and holding classes in craft work. The beading teacher was unable to continue, so IContinue Reading
Self-care is a popular buzzword these days, but are you doing it right? Everybody’s talking about self-care as a way to improve health and well-being. Writers need to be especially conscious about it because the writing life can lead to health issues like back pain, weight gain, burnout, and depression.Continue Reading
Do you feel creatively fulfilled as a writer? A Writing and Wellness reader who commented on a former post (“5 Things Writers Can Do to Live Longer”) got me thinking about this. Mike was talking about his difficulty with getting enough sleep each night, not only because he likes toContinue Reading
Are you feeling lately like your writing sucks? As writers, we often come up against the same weaknesses in our storytelling again and again. With each book completed, we improve on some things, but others continue to hover around the mediocre level, which can be frustrating. The danger is thatContinue Reading
Every fall, I take a week to ten days to get away to my own little writing retreat. I have a quiet location I go to that I’m really familiar with. The people know me there, and I can come and go as I please. The area offers just theContinue Reading
It’s not always easy to get into the zone—the writing zone, that is. Have you ever sat down to write, and then 15 or 20 minutes later realized that you hadn’t managed to type a single word? Or maybe you did eke out a sentence or two, but it feltContinue Reading
by Olivia Jones Inspiration is a fickle beast, as every writer knows well. We do our best to tame it, manage it, and help it flourish, but ultimately it has its own heartbeat and a way of growing or halting to a sudden stop. But among so many things weContinue Reading
You’ve been working on your latest writing project for a while now, and your motivation is waning. You still believe in it. You still want to take it all the way through to “the end,” but lately the fire has dimmed in your heart. What’s happened, and how can youContinue Reading
Let’s face it—some days, your writing creativity is lacking. Maybe you had a tough day, you didn’t get any sleep, or you’ve just been working really hard lately. Stress, negative emotions, and overwork all decrease your ability to be creative and original. Yet sometimes we just can’t help it—life happens,Continue Reading
by Cat Crawford The world of blogging has blown up over the last five years, with more and more people discovering how to use the platform to promote themselves, connect with others, and even start their own businesses. A large number of millennials now blog about their passions and backContinue Reading
~Writing Well Wednesday Tip~ Most writers are sensitive creatures. That’s good when it comes to imagining how our characters feel in various scenes. But it’s not so good when it comes to managing our moods. If you find that you’re feeling irritable, sad, or out of it lately, you mayContinue Reading
To reach your writing goals, you have to know how to boost your writing willpower. You need it when it’s time to write and you’re tired. When you get that rejection and you feel too discouraged to keep going. Or when the writing gets hard in the middle of theContinue Reading