You know what it’s like. You can’t wait for the fun and frenzy of getting ready to go back to school. First, you plot a course for the new clothing and the “must have” styles, then on to the pens, pencils and the perfect notebook. It wouldn’t be complete without that greasy lunch at the food court. Ahhh… back to school. You wouldn’t think of neglecting the back-to-school ritual. Neither should you disregard preparing for your new year of writing. You need to gear up for your success. Here’s why. Setting a definite start date makes it tangible. When you know exactly what date you will start, every part of you gears up for it. You learn how to prepare. It forces you to think about your writing year coming […]
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Endless Summer, Part Three: One Last Fling
Doesn’t that just sound fun? Not to mention mysterious and just a bit naughty. After all, you’re a responsible adult, right? You must always be in control. One last fling sounds so, so inappropriate. That could not be farther from the truth. Here’s why. It unplugs you. More so than any time in your life, pulling the plug is vital to your emotional health and happiness. You have to disengage from the rigors and responsibilities of your daily routine. It energizes you. Taking the time to have one last fling is like taking a Sunday afternoon nap. The nap gets you ready for the busy week. The fling gets you ready for a season of writing. It releases your creativity. To laugh and play frees your brain up to freely […]
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Endless Summer, Part Two: Take Out the Trash
The picnic was great. Lots of fun, food and family hit the spot. But now you have to do some cleaning. Don’t you just love a clean house with everything in its place? Peace settles over you as you inhale the freshness of a fresh home. Just as it took time to scrub the tub and take out the trash, your success as a writer requires the same attention. Just like you really don’t need to hang onto the phone bill from 1972, you really could clean out some things in your own emotions. Things you didn’t remember were there until you begin cleaning house. Here are just a few. When you find them, toss them! Past rejections. Perhaps there was a time you could and should have worn those […]
Read the RestEndless Summer, Part One: The Picnic
Many of you are preparing your works—in—progress to present at the fall writers conferences. This month, we’ll be looking at the fun and the responsibilities of being a writer at this time of year. So hang on and squeeze the last moments out of summer! Let me guess. By now you’ve probably had at least two family picnics, visited a theme park, met distant family members you forgot you had at a reunion. You’ve eaten enough potato salad to rid Idaho of its potato crop and have swatted enough flies to power the space shuttle. Ahhhh… summer time! You may also be in the picnicking phase of your work in progress. You remember it, don’t you? Yes, that one you’re dreaming will hit the New York Times Best Seller List. […]
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