What Are You Overlooking?

I was submitting a couple pieces to literary websites and needed to write a short author bio. I looked at the bios of other writers for ideas.  Author X has published this and this and that is forthcoming.  I didn’t feel like I had any published work to add and though I have writing projectsContinue reading “What Are You Overlooking?”

A Precedent Has Already Been Set

The sun is setting on my 20’s and this Sunday I will enter my 30’s. It’s easy to slip into the mindset of not being far enough along for my age, especially when there’s post after post about “the youngest person to ever [insert achievement here]” or “the top people under [insert decade here]”. I’veContinue reading “A Precedent Has Already Been Set”

The Right to Your Own Process

“I’m calling them guidelines because if I say ‘rules’, you might have the expectation that it will be true every time. As you know, there are many exceptions in English,” I remember telling my students. After a Sunday morning conversation with my life coach, I realized that this could be applied to my writing careerContinue reading “The Right to Your Own Process”

Push through the mess

When I haven’t exercised in a long time, it shows: I’m stiff, the moves that used to be manageable for me are a struggle, and I find myself pausing and/or modifying more than I would like. I do the exercise anyway, knowing that my form is not great and I am moving slower than theContinue reading “Push through the mess”

You are as you see yourself

I’ve written here before about not feeling confident enough to call myself a writer. But what does it mean to be a writer, anyway? Rather, what do I think I should be doing to count as a writer? Writers work on their manuscripts every day, and go to writing clubs and writing events to pontificateContinue reading “You are as you see yourself”

February’s monthly micro

Once a month I post a micro story (a story that is 1,000 words or less). Words are my own. Read and enjoy but don’t copy and pass off as your own. I have become a morning person, shaking off the late slumber of my adolescence. 8 AM is my personal favorite: the sun getsContinue reading “February’s monthly micro”

How my local writing circle reignited my writing life

Let me add my voice to the chorus of people rightfully praising Amanda Gorman for her powerful poem at President Biden’s inauguration. Many elements of her story struck me, from her tackling a speech impediment to the graceful hand movements that accompanied her words. Writing, something I once felt was ordinary, relegated to the sidelinesContinue reading “How my local writing circle reignited my writing life”