A Writing Life

Busy Bee, Just Be

Published on 2012-02-13 17:10:00

I’m in that weird space between books – meaning I’ve finished writing one and don’t feel like starting another just yet. The manuscript is now out with a few beta readers and then the revision process will begin.I think this ebb and flow of energy and creativity is something we all experience. We put in time and effort toward a goal – all hands on deck, so to speak – and it’s natural to feel low energy when the goal is accomplished.It’s also natural to feel like we’re being laz

Little Bites of Self-Care Easy to Swallow

Published on 2012-01-31 18:22:00

We writers – and I suspect all creative types – tend to get down on ourselves a lot. A couple (or a dozen) rejections arrive in the email box and it’s “I’m crap! How did I think I could write and sell a novel? Are my thighs getting bigger?”Back in December I blogged about showing ourselves some tenderness. And this blog has a similar theme: self-care. And more precisely, internal self-care.A good friend gave me a book titled The Book of Awakening: Having the Life You Want by Being P

Where Everybody Knows Your Name (and Your Business)

Published on 2012-01-13 16:08:00

I’ve been in Texas all week visiting my sister and her family. She lives in Glen Rose, a town of 2,100 people. It’s the kind of town where the pharmacist knows my sister by name; the kind of town that turns out in full force for the opening of the new school gymnasium; the kind of town where gift shop owners on the square encourage shoppers to visit their competition.Glen Rose is double the population of the town where I grew up; a town I dreamt of escaping my whole childhood. And boy, did I