Reading the Numbers For all my talk about not fixating on numbers, I sometimes fall off the wagon. I was disheartened to see the percentage of people who open my newsletter had decreased. Were people no longer interested in what … Continue reading →

Drop the “Should” Recently, I carved out time for my work-in-progress. I try to practice what I preach, so, despite a crushing to-do list, I took time for my writing. Usually, when I’m finally at my computer, I can slip … Continue reading →

Writing is Hard! Part of my job as a book coach is to help keep writers accountable. Life always gets in the way. Jobs, family, children, parents. But the minutia of life also gets in the way: having space to write, losing … Continue reading →

Stories Are About WHO What if you just have nothing to say?  You want to write; you have ideas floating around your head, and maybe even that cursed cursor blinking disparagingly at you, your doc open, page blank. But it’s … Continue reading →

People, not Numbers In the social media world—actually, in the real world, too—we’re judged on numbers. Numbers of followers, numbers of likes, number of subscribers, number of sales, number of readers… For someone like me who is allergic to numbers … Continue reading →

The Raw Material of Writing Ideas are easy; writing is hard.  Ideas are what live in our imagination. They’re what we spool out of our head into a plethora of directions. They’re fun to think about, to work with, to … Continue reading →

Write Your Own A+ Story My daughter’s professor explained that the expectation for a “A” essay was to enlighten her with an analysis she hadn’t seen before. At first glance, it seems like a sound criteria for a high-level university … Continue reading →

Writing is Real Life When I joined a community book club, I didn’t know any other members, but I’ve enjoyed getting to know them. It turns out one young woman had attended the same high school I’d taught at for … Continue reading →

Writing Is Its Own Beauty We had a big snowstorm here recently, and as I was (inside, snuggly and cozy) staring out my back window, I noticed a tree had fallen and been caught horizontally among neighbouring trees. With the … Continue reading →

Your Identity As a Writer The identity of “writer” isn’t conditional. It’s not an action. It’s a state of mind. It’s being a writer, not just doing writing. Can you be a writer and never set words to paper? Yes. Are you an … Continue reading →