I am very pleased to announce that several of my writing students have received recognition for their work in the highly competitive Scholastic Artists and Writers contest, the oldest and most prestigious writing contest for youth in the United States. My students were competing with students from all the western states: California, Colorado, Hawaii, Montana,…
Category: Reflections on Writing
With a Little Help from “TED”
I watched a Ted Talk yesterday that my daughter Rachael recommended. I realized when I was watching it that though it was entitled, “How Great Leaders Inspire Action” by Simon Sinek, the information could be applied to my approach to writing my novel. The gist of Sinek’s talk is that successful companies like Apple start…
Repost: A New Publication from Query Letter to Acceptance
Here was my query letter: Dear Editor, Below is an essay on the perils of self-doubt as a writer, the major writers who admit to this same doubt, and the resolve to keep going in spite of those nagging negative thoughts. I am a current Pushcart nominee for a flash fiction story published in the…
A “Nice” Rejection Letter for An Odd Story
I received this last night from the editor of Thrice Publishing. Dear Helen, Thanks for sending “The Mustache: A Social Experiment”. I’m going to pass on this one Helen, but am honored by the opportunity to see work of merit. Sometimes it only comes down to the direction we’re taking at the moment, more than…
Confession of a Neurotic Writer
Last week I made a goal to write every morning right after waking. This was not for my blog, but for my novel in progress. Monday – Thursday I did great. I got up, sat down, wrote and was pleased with myself. However, Friday morning, I was leaving early to go to see a client…
For Gayle: The Reprint of a Story Inspired by Music
Janet wasn’t sure why life seemed so complicated these days. Maybe it had to do with the way the wind was always blowing, tossing her short gray hair this way and that, and reminding her of happier times before Chet died. Chet, her husband of 35 years, who woke up one day and said he…
In Search of a Writing Structure
Tonight, I have been sitting here for over an hour perusing news stories and Calls for Submissions trying to find a topic on which to write. I don’t mind writing once I have a topic, but sometimes figuring out what to write about is a pain in the butt. Tonight is one of those times….
Standing Up to Fear
I have been thinking a lot today about the idea of censorship. How critical it is that we don’t fall victim to the fear that what we think and feel might bring trouble if we speak up and share our thoughts. Free speech is one of the fundamental components of a free society; without it,…
Brene Brown’s Talk on Critics in LIfe
Below is a great 99 U talk by Brene Brown entitled, “Why Your Critics Aren’t the Ones that Count.” I am gearing up for my 2015 writing goals. I found this talk, which is 21 minutes long, to be helpful. I hope you will, too. Here is the link. 99 U has a tagline: Insights…
The Platitudes I Swore I Was Going to Avoid
Here we are approaching the end of 2014 and I feel compelled to write something related to endings and new beginnings. But what? I don’t need to go back over the same old platitudes that have become so familiar that we all just skim over them. Yes, let’s savor every moment and be grateful for…
20 Minutes a Day 