The other day, I had scheduled a mid-morning coffee with a friend. I did my exercises first and checked e-mail, leaving myself a full hour to get ready. But sometime during that designated time, my creative mind decided to take a walk. I wound up spending twice as long in the shower as I intended...
Tag: writing
I Feel Pretty
When I was a kid, my dad used to sing the song “I Feel Pretty” from the movie West Side Story. Yes, my dad. When I was little, I thought the song was about this hopelessly stuck-up girl who liked to brag about her good looks. Catchy tune or not, I couldn’t understand why he...
Pie in the Sky Hopes
When I was a kid, I used to sit on the back porch step and sing at the top of my lungs the lyrics to Frank Sinatra’s song, “High Hopes.” Just what did make that ant think he could move that rubber tree plant? I had no idea what inspired his crazy dream, but I...
How to Banish Envy
I was reading one of my friend’s Facebook posts, and I said to myself again, “She is leading my writer dream life.” If you’re in the arts or entrepreneurship, you have at least one friend like this. Someone whose work you admire and whose talent you would never dispute. Someone who you genuinely like ....
Are You Ready for an Adventure?
There’s a line in the movie The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey that gives me such a thrill. As Bilbo Baggins rushes by—pack on his back, big feet flying—one of the villagers calls out, “Mr. Bilbo, where are you off to?” “I’m going on an adventure,” Bilbo shouts back, as he hurtles headlong into an uncertain...
Should I Take a Nap or Change the World?
For the first part of last year, I was working way too much. My friends told me to slow down, take more naps, spend more time outdoors, etc. So I did. I dropped some projects, stepped back from some roles, said no to some opportunities. And for the first few weeks, it felt great. I...
Black Friday Deal for Aspiring Writers
I’m straying a bit from my usual posts this week because I know you are all in shopping mode and I’m excited to share a deal regarding my new ten-part course, “How To Write Your First Novel.” This course is available through my partner, Curious.com, which is the best online learning center in the world...
Just Another Grateful Day
“It’s not happy people who are thankful, it’s thankful people who are happy.” I found this quote on the internet the other day. A friend encouraged me to start a regular gratitude practice, and since I have, I’ve noticed that no matter how foul my mood, my gratitude practice lifts it every time. I tick...
The Lost Generation Found
I recently returned from a trip to Paris with a friend. We went on a literary walking tour in which our guide showed us the pubs and bistros where some of the most famous writers of the early 20th century gathered to write, debate, drink, celebrate, and argue. Writers like Ernest Hemingway, James Joyce, Ezra...
The Folly of Failure
What if failure didn’t exist? No, I’m serious. What if it’s just a word someone invented because he was feeling down about his work and the word stuck. It’s not hard to imagine a time when this word didn’t exist. There was a time when none of the words we use today existed. But at...