I’m considered prolific. So from the outside, I look like a writing machine to many writers. I’ve heard that over and over again: How I’m so dedicated and strong and am all about writing.
It doesn’t feel that way from the inside. I don’t write nearly enough. I never get to everything I want to do. I feel like I’m doing things other than writing most of the time.
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How do (and did) I get work done, even with a chronic illness that, at its worst, incapacitated me 21 out of 28 days every month?
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I don’t expect other people to have the same priorities that I do. It’s up to me to prioritize my family, my health, and my writing. It’s not up to the world. The world is what it is. Other people will do what they do.
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One of the comments I heard the most at this year’s Business Master Class was a bit wistful. And the comment usually came in a discussion about something else. I sure would like to get to the place where I can do what you folks do: where I can write what I love. As soon […]
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One September Saturday night, I went to see Sutton Foster at the Smith Center here in Las Vegas. Most of you may know Sutton Foster from her TV roles, particularly in Younger (which I have not watched, because it’s about “publishing,” and TV’s idea of “publishing” always sets my teeth on edge). I’ve been following […]
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The writers who come to our workshops have one trait in common: they’re driven. We choose writers to attend our in-person workshops based on that trait above all else. Yes, we mostly teach professionals, which takes care of the whole “can-you-write-well-enough-yet” thing, but even among the professionals who apply to our workshops, we still search […]
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The problem with the hamster wheel school of writing is that at a certain point all of that love of writing, all of that joy in storytelling, goes out the window, and writing becomes drudgery. It’s not fun to write the same story over and over again. It’s not fun to write stories on topics you hate. It’s not fun to write in genres you loathe.
So many writers are doing that, though, and have no idea how to quit…
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Recently, someone asked me why Dean and I continue to teach writing workshops. Most established writers don’t, unless they’re asked to address a college class or spend a week at Clarion. Even then, they’re following someone else’s format, and simply putting their spin on it. Dean and I have developed an entire curriculum, both online […]
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The in-person Oregon Coast writing workshop ended on Saturday, and worked relatively well, considering all the things we had to do to deal with my unexpected need to remain here in Vegas. Some things worked as usual, and others didn’t. Surprisingly for me, I ended up as tired on Sunday as I usually am when […]
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I’m allergic to dairy. It’s one of the many allergies that sent me to Vegas. In Lincoln City, restaurants didn’t understand that no dairy meant no butter, no milk products, no cheese. The restaurants would often scrap off the offending item if they accidentally mixed it into my food, not caring about cross-contamination. Between that […]
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