I have two stories in the newly-released Story Circle Network’s Real Women Write Anthology, The Power of Friendship, Volume 23, and I also had the honor of writing the Foreward for the book. The anthology is an incredible compilation of friendship stories that I highly recommend. As I wrote, ““The essays, memoir pieces, poems, and…
Tag: Writing
The Value of a Good Wander in Personal Essay Writing
I referenced this piece in a class I was teaching today. I think this applies to not just writing but life in general. A good wander serves many good purposes. Any of my personal essay students will tell you that I often say, “It’s important to use writing as a form of discovery.” I contend…
What My Childhood Self Would Think of My Adult Life
What would the child I once was think about the adult I have become? I think she would be happy with much of my life. She would love the orange grove, my children, their partners, and my grandchildren, Luna, Nico, Lyla, and Ethan. Plus, she would think Ray is funny. She would be pleased that I…
Flash Fiction: Apricots, Lilacs, and Lilies
This is a flash story I wrote in 2012. I decided to edit it tonight. I have always been partial to this particular piece. It reminds me of working on a psychiatric unit right out of graduate school in Counseling. I am not an apricot kind of girl, all small and soft, squishy and sweet….
This Time of Year: Deadlines Looming
This is the time of year when I disappear daily into my office and don’t emerge until late evening. What am I doing? Working on Zoom with high school seniors who are writing their college essays, community college kids applying to their first choice universities for transfer, and college graduates applying to various post-graduate programs…
Surprising Myself
Today, I was talking with my daughter Liz about adding a Mission Oak bookshelf to a room she was redecorating. She said, “Oh, maybe I can put the new bookshelf next to the one Dad has already loaned me.” I looked at the bookshelf she referenced and said, in pure antique dealer-speak, “Oh, but the…
Prompt: Open the Drawer
Today, I’m going to write from a prompt I found in the Observation Deck: A Tool Kit for Writers by Naomi Epel. This tool kit is comprised of a 160-page book with short chapters filled with writing advice, which also corresponds to a 50-card deck. Chapter titles include Change Your Point of View, Follow the…
Successful Ojai Nature Writing and Crafting Workshop!
Today, I held a nature writing workshop in Ojai in collaboration with Footprints in the Soil (FITS), an environmental nonprofit. My daughter Rachael led a crafting workshop on the back patio of Move Sanctuary, where the event was held. My other daughter, Liz, helped with the event’s planning, participated in the writing workshop, and snapped…
11 Tips for Creativity
I found the following list in an old 2013 writing file tonight. I apologize to the author. I did not write down your name, website address, or any identifying information. I tried typing in the title “11 Tips for Creativity ” and found several articles, but none had this content. I’m so sorry. I will…
Learning about Author-Publishing, One Step at a Time
I didn’t post last night, but it wasn’t because I wasn’t writing. The truth is that I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning editing my manuscript for publication. I got up again this morning after not lots of sleep and worked all day on it. I read it page by page, refining…
20 Minutes a Day 