This story is crap. I know it is. I’ve been working at this for five years and I’m not getting anywhere. Am I just fooling myself? I’m afraid I don’t really have any talent and I’m just wasting my time. This novel has gotten too many bad reviews. I’ll neverContinue Reading
Do you have the writing blahs? You’ve probably heard of “seasonal affective disorder” or SAD, that form of depression that can take over in the winter months. Symptoms of SAD can include lack of energy, a low mood, social withdrawal, irritability, and difficulty concentrating. Sometimes winter weather can be aContinue Reading
By Mindy Halleck As an author and cancer survivor I believe writing aids us in understanding life’s challenges, and that through understanding we become better writers. When we translate painful or confusing events from the unspoken into written language we alter our perceptions and fundamentally make the experience graspable. YouContinue Reading
Rejection. Ack! Poor review. Help! Lackluster sales. Eek! Writer’s block. Ugh! What’s the cure for all these writer afflictions? Appropos for this time of year: Gratitude. Practicing an attitude of gratitude can save a writer on many occasions. Ready to throw in the towel or tear your hair out? TakeContinue Reading
My mom raises goats. She enjoys most parts of the process, but there are a few things that get her frustrated. One of the biggest ones is when one of her goats gets out of the field. This doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it’s usually because of oneContinue Reading
Funny thing happened to me this past weekend. I had planned a 10-day writing retreat by the ocean to pound out the edits for my literary novel that’s coming out next April. (Read more about Loreena’s Gift here.) The plans had been in the works for months. To accomplish theContinue Reading
While spending some time with my family recently, I had the pleasure of watching again the great movie, “Miss Potter,” about the life and writing career of children’s book author Beatrice Potter. I thought I remembered it quite well, but it’s been years since I first saw it, and IContinue Reading
At a recent conference, I was surprised to learn that creative burnout is common among writers. I was at the Aspen Summer Words Conference and had chance to meet award-winning author Hannah Tinti. I heard her speak on the final panel of the week and then asked her sign myContinue Reading
My older brother and I really enjoyed roller-skating when we were young kids (around seven to ten). We were lucky enough to have a nice rink in our town, and a mom who was willing to invest in opportunities for us. We both took lessons, but because we were threeContinue Reading
My mom has a great sense of humor. She can find a laugh in just about every situation. Rarely do I spend a day with her, or even have a conversation with her, that she doesn’t get me laughing about one thing or another. What a blessing that is. IContinue Reading
Are you suffering from writer’s guilt? If so, you may sometimes feel like you’re at war. You fight the battle every day between writing and the rest of your life. Sometimes writing wins. Sometimes life wins. Either way, you feel guilty. The emotion is so common in the writer’s worldContinue Reading
It’s not easy for writers to think big. We all get into our lives and our routines. With so much going on, we don’t even realize that our thinking has gradually diminished to the point where we see nothing but what’s in front of our noses. This happened to me,Continue Reading