Blog
Blog
Blog
“Il faut cultiver notre jardin,” —Voltaire
For those of us who don’t do fancy French, this means:
“We must cultivate our garden,” says Pangloss at the end of Voltaire’s Candide.
No sentiment could be truer for women who write. Stop focusing on the whole wide world. Instead, maintain a space that is your own and encourages the fruits of your labors to blossom.
But the process of growing our garden requires the right tools. Reading this blog and learning how to revise your own stories could help you cultivate your garden, obtain peace of mind, and establish your writing legacy. Happy reading and writing!
Looking for a specific writing topic? Search the entire blog below.
Lessons from a Late Bloomer & Kate Bush Fan
“I always saw you as a late bloomer,” my mother told me when I was 20.
I don’t think she meant it as a compliment.
Maybe Patti Smith had to spend some time in the Piss Factory to tell her stories, but Kate Bush had other plans. And so did I.
A Return to Writing
When I made my last blog post This is the End in Dec of 2019, I had no idea how prophetic that title would be. In the last three years, I’ve had a battle with chronic illness due to mold exposure. I’ve had to homeschool my kiddo—a Montessori dropout— since COVID hit. And my family and I moved across the country.
Regular writing and editing were not options for me.
But times change. And if you’re a writer, you’ll find your way back to writing eventually.
This is the End
Endings.
Ever struggle with those in your writing?
This isn’t my usual birth—death—rebirth-themed nugget of inspiration. Although that’s an important concept to consider anytime you’ve reached the culmination of something.
Today, I want to address the kinds of endings that must well—truly end.
Happy Holidays... Let's Talk About Suicide
Every time I hear about a recent suicide and someone says, “check on your friends,” I think, “is that really going to make a difference? We can’t be with our friends 24/7.”
I hold a different philosophy regarding suicidal ideation. And I wish more people did, as well. “My suicides have always been metaphors.”
Why So Serious? Using Humor in Your Memoir
Comic timing can be a tricky thing to find in your writing. Here’s how to make it work. From misconceptions about using humor in memoir writing to tips on how to use comedy in speaking presentations, you’ll get introductory techniques for how to use humor well.