By now you know that sitting all day puts you at risk for higher cholesterol levels and heart disease, according to studies reported on NPR. This sucks for us writers who hope to spend as much time at our laptops or desks as possible. I'd built a laptop holder on my exercise bike, but I often use my laptop in the kitchen, family room, or dining room. I've tried standing at the kitchen counter and … [Read more...]
Dealing with Distractions
Distractions are the curse of artists and writers. I’m not talking about procrastination, such as when you decide to organize the hall closet instead of working on your novel. I mean little irritants that, while writing, make me think I'm turning into Monk, the OCD television character. I sit down at the kitchen table to write, but a newspaper in disarray, someone’s half-cup of cold coffee, and a … [Read more...]
Writing is Making a Commitment
My notes from a writers' conference emphasize the importance of commitment when it comes to your work. 1. Writing is a practice - do it every day. 2. Writing is endurance, a beloved commitment, "Yes, I'm still writing..." 3. Writing is a personal search - you have a question you're trying to answer. 4. Writing is failure and rejection, a painful dig to find what glimmers. 5. Writing … [Read more...]
Gossip
Don't get me wrong, I really like my new optician, and the eyeglasses he sold me. It's just that he talks a lot about everyone else. Gossip. I can't quite figure out why, and, having worked in retail myself, I'm not sure it's good business practice. Today I walk in to have my new glasses tightened, and overhear him talking with his associate in the back about "when she comes in with them, I'll … [Read more...]
Derek’s Black Hill Spruce
Nature can help us understand so many things about life. My eldest child took his own life in the fall of 2011 at age thirty two. As a mother, no matter how many counselors, doctors and friends tell you suicide isn’t the parent’s fault, you can’t help but wonder what you did wrong. Didn’t I cuddle him enough? Should I have been stricter. Was I too strict? The bottom line was: I failed as a … [Read more...]
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