Tweet I hope not because I’d cringe over my early parcels of prose. And whether I consider myself to be a “great” writer on any given day may force me to close up shop. Yet many people (disgruntled writers, elitist writers, etc.) may persuade you otherwise. In fact, that writer may be you. If you’re waiting for your portfolio to catch up with the title, you’ll be waiting forever. Anyway, the writer you are today is much better than who you were yesterday. It’s a rare few who enter this world brimming with talent. Most of us have to learn…
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Tweet The process of writing can seem nebulous. On a conscious level, you are aware that putting butt to chair and pen to pad creates a flow of ideas. But where it comes from seems a lot less clear. Does a writer need to be in fits of rage or a constant cynic to engender passionate pieces of prose? I often wonder if it’s like me and running. It only feels good when it’s bad. In other words, catch me running begrudgingly when all is well in the world, but I’ll pass you if I’m down in the dumps. But…
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Tweet When I first started my career as a full-time freelance writer, I didn’t know what I was doing. I made a ton of mistakes. I still do. But in looking back, I realized I neglected one thing. Myself. I’ve been reading Julia Cameron’s classic book The Artist’s Way. It’s taught me how the decisions we make about who we bring into our lives can have a powerful impact on our creative as well as personal life. She says: “Whether they appear as your overbearing mothers, your manic boss, your needy friend, or your stubborn spouse, the crazymakers in your…
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Tweet {flickr} What did you do today? And the day before? How much of your time was spent working? How much time did you spend on simply enjoying your life? These questions are not merely questions of curiosity, but self-preservation. In The Right to Write by Julia Cameron talks about the “well.” A fitting word to describe what we expect to be an unlimited reservoir of inspiration. But we often fail to fill ourselves up. I describe the effect as a dried out sponge. Just weeks ago I complained to my life coach that I felt like a sad orange.…