Don’t judge me, but I’m a big fan of reality TV. Just like I love a good memoir and an autobiography, I get a high from watching real life people do crazy ass things. To me, it’s just inspires me to do something crazy myself. One of my favorite shows is, “Shark Tank.” It seems antithetical to my very nature to be a shark when it comes to making money. But maybe that’s why watching it thrills me so. It’s also observing the inventors, creators and designers who work up the courage to give their 5-minute shpeal on what makes…
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{flickr photo} This story got me out of a temporary blogging hiatus. I just had to write about it… Shea Gunther, writer and owner of a new clean-tech website launching in May, sent out a mass email to 900 applicants who wanted to write for him. 900!! Instead of the sober, formal reply writers often get that basically say, “Unfortunately we decided to hire another writer,” this one included a 3,000 word rejection letter stating in detail why each and every person didn’t get the job. This sparked a ton of anger for the recipients as well as for the commenters…
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Is inspiration really that important to your writing? If you read my other blog, The Inspiring Bee, you can probably guess what I think. But I might be alone in my thoughts. I just wrote an article for The Writer magazine with quotes from a handful of writers I admire on why inspiration may not be necessary to get writing. In fact, they list at least three reasons why you may be wasting your time if you’re waiting for inspiration to strike. What do you think? Does inspiration help your writing soar or is simply an excuse to procrastinate?
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Inspiration doesn’t have to come from tools per se. It can come from waterfalls and mountaintops and from trekking through the forest. In fact, it doesn’t even have to be pretty where you are. I once felt inspired in a bar with my husband watching football. If you’ve got inspiration covered and are enjoying the free flow of content coming through your fingers, feel free to share your techniques below. If you’re like me and you occasionally get stuck, you may need additional ideas to keep the ideas coming. I’m always on the lookout for new ways to delve into…
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The Pain in My Neck I went to the chiropractor for the first time in a decade today. I’ve been having a literal pain in my neck and shoulders and wanted to find the culprit. Although the results were inconclusive, the chiropractor did tell me something intriguing. He said my posture was messed up. Okay he didn’t say that exactly, but he did tell me that I was tensing one of my shoulders and hunching my back. I realized that just as we hold onto bad ideas, dysfunctional relationships and negative thoughts, we also unconsciously hold onto our bodies willing…
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I only discovered it recently. But I’m more apt to write in a crazy fit of inspiration if I’m accompanied by lots of people talking in a crowded room, the smell of coffee wafting in around me and settling on my clothes, and in the rim of a nice, comfy, worn out cheeks indented chair. That and a working vintage typewriter. I scored one recently at a flea market. I got there late with only 20 minutes to spare and saw it sitting pretty amongst dusty vases, non-affordable credenzas and chotskies I would never buy. I’ve been secretly drooling over…
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This may be late breaking news for those who already read this, but I L-O-V-E stories about how writers became writers. When writer and blogger Charyn Pfeuffer tweeted me from @charynpfeuffer and later emailed me about her personal journey to freelance writing, I was smitten. I asked if she would let me share her story with you here. Happily she agreed. Although we all have our own individual paths that led us to writing, there is a common bond that we all share-passion, wild determination and a quiet knowing that this is the right career. You’ll find it all in her message below.…
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It’s not forests, vast fields of sunflowers or grand mountaintops that does it for some writers. You may be surprised by how easily inspiration can be garnered. In my latest article for The Writer magazine, I investigated where a handful of writers found their source of inspiration. It was not the answer I expected. But one I completely agree with. You can read the article here.
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I’m sure you’ve read enough posts, articles and books to make you feel insignificant and insecure as writer. While most advice is given with good intention and can provide necessary tutelage for the beginning writer, over a period of time they can make you feel like you’re doing everything wrong and incapable of doing anything right. Just for one day, why not let loose ends lay? Instead of worrying, defending, cowering in the shadow of another un-dotted i and crossed t, give yourself a break. For Valentine’s Day, instead of roses, balloons and a box of mystery chocolates, give yourself…
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Do you write because it’s your secret platform for venting and free expression? Do you write because it’s the one thing you’re good at? Do you write because you can’t imagine not writing? Or is it simply your career? Your main source of income. Your livelihood. The reason why I ask is that remembering why we write is important. When we’re in the trenches, when writing feels like walking in slowly sinking sand, it’s easy to want to give up. But the one rescue line, the key to pulling us out of desperation and dismay is to remember why we’re…