I started writing this post about my One Little Word about a month ago, but I never finished. After looking back at the progress I made in January I figured it was still worth sharing. It’s never too late to come up with a word. I’ve been using the concept of one little word for […]
A Beach Story, or a Parable about Being a Writer
There’s this guy — a kid, I would call him; from eight stories up he looks like a teenager or early 20s — whose job it is to set out beach umbrellas and chairs for the condo building where we stayed on our vacation. People pay $30 a day for access to an umbrella and […]
Creativity Boost: Writing Practice
I know not everyone who reads this site is a writer, and I know that writing is not the only way to be creative, but establishing a writing practice is an act of creativity that I think can help a lot of people be more creative, even if they don’t primarily create with words. What […]
Freelance Coach: Why Saying No is Good
I used to have a blog called Freelance Coach, where I wrote about the business of being a freelance writer/creative person. I shut it down a long time ago, but I kind of miss it. I think I need to start writing about those subjects again. When I was first starting out as a freelancer, […]
Lessons for Writers from Hamilton: An American Musical
I am maybe more than just a little bit obsessed with “Hamilton: An American Musical.” When I first listened to the cast recording, I didn’t really know what I was getting into. I just knew a lot of people loved it, it had won all these awards and I had, through other things, learned about […]
Make Blackout Poetry {Craft Challenge, Day 113}
If you’re hesitant to use your own words to write poetry, or you aren’t sure what to say or how to get started, blackout poetry is a fun way to write poetry with other people’s words. What is Blackout Poetry? I first saw these on Austin Kleon’s blog, but lots of other people do them, […]
Write a Poem About Something That’s Driving You Crazy {Craft Challenge, Day 111}
One of my favorite poems is “Another Reason Why I Don’t Keep a Gun in the House” by Billy Collins. If you don’t know it, I’ll share a little here, but click the link and read the whole thing: The neighbors’ dog will not stop barking. He is barking the same high, rhythmic bark that he […]