The other day, I dropped in on my neighbor to deliver a plate of cookies. I love to bake cookies, cakes, brownies, pies, etc.  My granddaughters love to bake with me, and it affords quality time with them.  Sometimes, I bake before they come, and the house smells of chocolate, cinnamon or vanilla.  However, too many goodies in the house equal too much temptation to eat them.   So, in order to…

Read More→

Those of you who understand a love/hate relationship will know what I’m talking about when I share that my inner editor is both loved and hated—and often at the same time. A writer’s inner editor is part of the executive function and self-regulation of the brain. Children aren’t born with these skills, but they are born with the potential to develop them. The full range of abilities continues to grow…

Read More→

This week, I discovered something new about myself.  I know, I know, I’m old enough that everything about myself should already have been not only discovered, but patented. Recently, I spoke to my husband about my unhappiness, while at the same time reassuring him that he is not the source of it.  However, after several months of unhappiness resurfacing, I still hadn’t found the cause. I’m a big believer in…

Read More→

“Dear Diary:” When I was young, I had one of those lock-and-key diaries. Writing in it was like writing a letter to a trusted confidant. Even now, I hold an image of an affectionate reader in my mind when I write. That reader feels like a friend, and writing has always been my friend as well. I remember being enamored making marks on paper before I knew how to make…

Read More→

If you ask most people to list their freedoms, they might tell you they are free to vote, to succeed, to make choices or to pursue happiness. I doubt they will say they are free to fail. And yet, without this freedom we can be paralyzed as artists, individuals and spirits. (One opposite fear, ironically, is the fear of success—but that’s another blog.) Fear of failing is often drummed into…

Read More→

While attending a yearly conference of the National Writer’s Association where I was to receive an award, I found myself sitting across the table from a lovely, articulate woman—an attorney hoping to publish her first book. We were enjoying the final dinner of the four-day conference and listening to the keynote speaker, a well-published author. He spoke on the importance of assistance from other writers through his journey to publication….

Read More→

It happens sometimes. I simply cannot write. Try as I may to do so, nothing flows from my mind to the page. I do what all writers are supposed to do. I keep my rear end in the chair until I feel it turning into mush—and my brain with it. Finally, I give up. Negative thoughts run through my mind. Perhaps I’m not supposed to write. Maybe my muse has deserted…

Read More→

Sunday morning is a good time to think about the sacred.  Is the stream that comes from my muse, or the source of my inspiration, sacred? Some writers would give a resounding “yes.” And to the extent that our creative natures are connected to and empowered by our Creator God, they would be correct. But I also believe my stream of creativity is God-inspired because I have committed it to…

Read More→

It occurred to me this morning that as I begin the publishing process on my new children’s book, Weaver Pond Stories, I have been telling myself (and everyone in earshot) how much I hate marketing. I know that equal parts of fear and the need for personal privacy mixed together are at the bottom of this self-talk.  Mind you, I’ve done some successful marketing for both my husband’s and my…

Read More→