It was more likely that you’d hit an artery or splinter the neighbor’s picture window than find a way to divide my pride at the perfect precipice where possibility lifted above the crumbling stories I had outlived. The day Jon left his undershirt behind and I filled my breath with his lingering absence, though my armor was glistening with intent, … Read More
Transforming fear to courage: Tip #4
Try another way When we set our sights on a goal and don’t succeed, it’s easy to tell ourselves a story that keeps us chained to this so-called failure. “I’m not [fill in the blanks with your own favorite insult here] enough to accomplish that,” we may tell ourselves, then beat ourselves up with that story over and over and … Read More
February Five (great ways to connect with Sage)
It’s hard to believe that February is just a hop, skip and a jump away. Over here in SageLand, there’s a whole lotta writing life action ahead in the coming month, and I sure would love for you to be a part of it! Following is a quick reminder of places to connect with me through speaking, reading, book celebrating … Read More
Fall in! Fall in!
“Just write. I know it sounds cliche or simplistic, but nothing else will teach you to write. You can take a million classes, read a thousand books, but the only way to learn is to put your hand to paper or the keyboard and get started. Imagine a novice baker who read all the cookbooks in the world but never … Read More
Transforming fear to courage: Tip #3
Don’t think you’re worthy of publication? Pretend you’re Pam! Did you know that Stephen King was reportedly rejected forty-one times before his first manuscript was accepted? Every writer who submits work for publication gets rejected. The majority of us get rejected many, many, many times. In fact, the more published work a writer has, the fatter his rejection file is … Read More
Keeping Your Wilderness Alive
Solitude is the sense of space as nourishing. What usually happens with solitude is that people equate it with loneliness, which frightens them…There is a way in which we treat our relationships almost like a colonial expedition: we want to colonize the space, all the territory in between, until there is no wilderness left. Most couples who have deadened in … Read More
Transforming Fear to Courage: Tip #2
The more I speak to writers about productivity, the more convinced I become that fear is at the root of everything that gets in our way. Perfectionism and procrastination are two of the most prevalent and misunderstood faces of fear. Think about it: have you ever received a rejection note that is anywhere as nasty as the things you tell … Read More
When in doubt, write
“What would you do if you could do anything you wanted to?” James Martin, author of The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything, asked readers in a recent interview. When at Wharton School studying business, this Jesuit priest says he shared his desire to study poetry with his advisor, who responded, “That is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.” Martin disagreed, … Read More
Transforming Fear to Courage: Tip #1
“Courage is fear that has said its prayers.”—Dorothy Bernard Here’s my theory. Fear is the unconscious belief that we are not good enough. It is the subliminal act of rejecting ourselves before anyone else has a chance to weigh in one way or another. Fear says, “You can’t, you won’t, so why even bother?” And I believe that fear is … Read More
The Productive Writer is born! Come help me celebrate.
I’m thrilled to announce that my book The Productive Writer has been born (and is already sleeping through the night!) Many of you participated in my amazon.com spike day, and I want to thank you SO MUCH for helping me achieve the extraordinary ranking that day of: #3 in books on Authorship #9 in books on Writing Skills #3,298 in … Read More