My favorite day is Saturday. My favorite color is dog tongue and empty bowl. My favorite color is “happy,” the way my son says it, clutching his small ambulance. My favorite day is Thursday. Thumb of circumstance. My favorite window hinges on the distance of open and closed, my heart its trapped glass blushing a sunset-streaked descent. My favorite dream … Read More
Learn what productivity means to you
Now that you’ve made a case for your future by studying what is being accomplished and who you admire in your field, celebrated down to the last comma all that went well in your writing life in 2010, and dreamed big about your Productive Writing Life, let’s drill down to some details of exactly who you are and what you … Read More
Choose your word for 2011!
Happy New Year! As we stand on the threshold of the erased blackboard of 2010, I’m wondering if you’ve chosen the word that will be the North Star for your writing life in 2011. Not yet? Consider this. Having a single word as an organizing priciple for your Productive Writer aspirations can be very powerful. At the start of each … Read More
“Hole in it”
he says, seated on his knees in the high red stool, belly pressed to the edge of the gray counter. My son who has graduated from single words to third person omniscient: Theo climb chair, Theo peel orange, Theo look out window, points to this strange, broken piece of toast I am wincing from the toaster to his plate. We … Read More
A little celebration of moving through fear
I recently insisted that you celebrate all things good as you wrap up 2010 to help make space for and invite in all the successes that are waiting to claim you in 2010. Now I’d like to share a little celebration of my own. But first, a bit of back story. I first spoke my poetry in front of a … Read More
A free class, a scholarship, and three, great ways to get poeming in January
No cash left after the holiday hooplah? No problem! To support you in making 2011 your best writing year yet, I’m offering a free teleclass on fear, two scholarships to my Poetry for the People classes in January, (Don’t forget that scholarship applications are due by Friday, December 31!) and three different ways to engage in your life poetic as … Read More
I [heart] Ellen Bass
Out at happy hour with Wendy and Darlene last week, the conversation meandered toward the inadequacy of language in naming non-marital, adult relationships. Boyfriend: those don’t really outlive high school. Lover: embarrassing, especially if your mother or children are within earshot. Mate: don’t dogs to that? Partner: does this include a non-disclosure clause and a corner office? Which led me … Read More
Want a special code to save $70 at the Writer’s Digest Conference?
It is my goal to share information about classes and events no more than once a week. However, I just learned about this special discount that presenters can share with their communities of writers, and I didn’t want to waste any time passing it on to you. If you’d like to join me at the Writer’s Digest Conference on Jan … Read More
Name your Paradise x4
In my experience, success starts with celebration. Which is why I suggested last week that if you want to make 2011 your best writing year yet, you should start with noticing and appreciating everything good in your writing life this year. If you haven’t taken this step yet, I hope you’ll do it now. Then, with the wind of self-appreciation … Read More
Join me in a FREE teleclass on navigating fear
Thursday, January 6, 2011 // 5:30 to 6:30 PM, PST (8:30 to 8:30 PM, ET) FREE Teleclass through The Renegade Writer: Using Fear as Fuel When Writing and Querying Do you struggle with fear, perfectionism, or feelings of inadequacy in your writing and publishing life? Have you avoided opportunities or challenges because you were certain that you’d be rejected or … Read More