by Rochelle Melander The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts. – Bertrand Russell I follow many writers and creatives on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. When they share their habits, successes, and even their failures, I feel encouraged to...Read More

by Rochelle Melander Distracted from distraction by distraction. – T.S. Eliot I have talked to so many people who’re struggling to focus. They have good intentions to research, write, or work and they end up doomscrolling. I’m in the same boat. Because I use social media for my job, I can’t just quit. Plus, social...Read More

By Rochelle Melander I’ve spent the last week under the weather, first with the Norovirus, then with a cold. The only benefit to being sick has been my need to rest—and stay offline. It’s tempting to spend every moment scouring the news, listening to the pundits, seeking signs of hope and a path forward. It’s...Read More

By Rochelle Melander ˆ The Exceptional is always usual And the Usual exceptional. To choose what is difficult all one’s days As if it were easy, that is faith. Joseph, praise. —W.H. Auden, For the Time Being My coach played a clip of Michael Caine talking about his philosophy, “Use the difficulty.” In it, Caine...Read More

By Rochelle Melander When we want to change our lives, when we seek to create a new vision for our life’s journey—we need to open up time, space, and energy in our present lives. Without this first step, without the empty spaces, we cannot hear the nudges to a new way of living. We can’t...Read More

Or How to Write When You have Too Much Time on Your Hands by Rochelle Melander It’s not that we have little time, but more that we waste a good deal of it. –Seneca For years, clients have said to me, “I’ll write the next time I have a free day.” Then when the day...Read More

by Rochelle Melander “Art is my cure to all this madness, sadness, and loss of belonging in the world and through it I’ll walk myself home.”― Nikki Rowe On Saturday, I had a book-making table at the library. I watched as a whole community of children rushed around playing with puppets, dancing to drum lines,...Read More

by Rochelle Melander “Worrying doesn’t empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.”― Corrie Ten Boom Having trouble concentrating this week? You’re not alone. With the United States election looming, seven out of ten adults report that politics are increasing their stress levels. But for many of us, if it weren’t the election,...Read More

by Rochelle Melander Perhaps everything terrible is in its deepest being something helpless that wants help from us. —Rainer Maria Rilke You know the feeling. You’re settling in for a day of writing, when the inner critic  pipes up, “Why are you wasting your time? You’re never going to be good enough. You could be...Read More

by Rochelle Melander Perfection is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life, and it is the main obstacle between you and a sh***y first draft. —Anne Lamott Are you a perfectionist? Do you Have trouble completing tasks if you can’t do it...Read More