What did you intend to do in your writing this week? Did you commit to that in some tangible way? Have you created accountability for your writing? In other words, who else knows and cares about when and how you write? In case it hasn’t occurred to you yet, those are leading questions. I’ve seen … More Key Questions Part 1
You’ll see it when you believe it. Be careful what you wish for. We get what we expect. These are more than folk wisdom adages; they are a condensation of the social science research that makes up the Appreciative Inquiry approach originally developed David Cooperrider and other researchers at Case Western University. AI is based on … More What’s So Great About Being a Writer?
If you’re looking for the article I mentioned about how to ask for feedback, here’s the link. … More Looking for Feedback on Giving and Receiving Feedback?
Every once in a while, something on reality TV sparks my imagination. The last minutes of the penultimate episode of Project Runway gave me something to think about. Michael C. became of the artistst who believe that success is the only justification they have. … More Faux Allies?
We need to reward ourselves and celebrate not just when some major milestone is reached, but for each step that brings us closer to the milestone. … More Celebrate!
What’s better for you: an easy win (e.g. your writer’s group loves your latest effort, the query you sent gets a quick and enthusiastic go-ahead, a blog post almost writes itself) or a painful setback (e.g. your writer’s group has questions and suggestions for your next revision, the editor you queried says “No thanks,” it … More When is Winning Really Losing?
One summer when I was ten or eleven, my mom gave me a solid piece of writing advice. But neither one of us recognized that’s what it was at the time. It started when I made the mistake of telling my mom, “I’m bored.” “Call Shirley,” she said, nicely enough considering she was undoubtedly working on … More Mom’s Writing Advice
In a previous post I suggested that sometimes the best thing to is nothing. I have new evidence for the power of “doing nothing.” Studies show that when rats experience something new, their brains create new patterns of activity. Nothing unexpected there, but here’s the kicker: to create a long-term memory, in other words, to really learn … More Nothing Beats the Power of Nothing
We are literally rewiring our brains in ways that make it increasingly difficult to sustain focused attention for more than a few minutes.
The dopamine hit we get from checking our electronic devices can be addictive and leave us feeling vaguely dissatisfied, restless and bored between hits.
But neither our technology nor our addictions define who we are. I will not surrender my power to choose where to focus my attention. How about you? … More Are You Addicted to Digital?
Here’s the challenge: When you write, write. Don’t do anything but write in these writing appointments. It’s amazing how much more writing you do when all you do when you write is write. … More I Challenge You to a Little Writer’s Duel
Bane of Your Resistance 