December 8, 2015    Note From Rochelle   Dear Writers, Greetings! I’ve just survived another crazy holiday weekend, where I was busy from dawn until long past dusk without accomplishing any of my own decorating or baking, let alone writing. I’d hoped to have my annual book recommendation article ready for you today, but I haven’t...Read More

October 6, 2015 Note From Rochelle Dear Writers, Are you planning to Write-A-Thon this year? Yup—it’s that time of year again. National Novel Writing Month starts November 1, and it’s time to plan your project! If you need help, my book Write-A-Thon: Write Your Book in 26 Days (And Live to Tell About It)  can support you in...Read More

Not easy to find the balance, for if one does not have wild dreams of achievement, there is no spur even to get the dishes washed. One must think like a hero to behave like a merely decent human being. —May Sarton, Journal of a Solitude It’s time to record your visions, dreams, and goals...Read More

I’m a big fan of the book, Thanks: How Practicing Gratitude Can Make You Happier by Robert A. Emmons. Professor Emmons and his colleague Professor Mike McCullough have conducted many gratitude studies. They first looked at the effects of gratitude journaling. All of the participants kept a journal and were asked to write a sentence...Read More

In my neighborhood, folks put their unwanted stuff out by the curb. Because this is a college neighborhood, with students moving in and out, this happens pretty regularly in the summer. Last week, I came across this little Santa while walking the dog. Living in Wisconsin, I am not used to seeing Santa perched on...Read More

In the Summer 2011 issue of Yoga International, Anne Dubrovsky profiles Anusara teacher Amy Ippoliti. In a sidebar, Ippoliti suggests keeping a separate journal for positive events in your life. I love it! Detail Success. Over the years, I have frequently asked clients to record their achievements, the encouraging events in their life, or the...Read More

As a reader, I often get bored by long descriptions of  place. After pages of flowery language about the shape of the topography or the decorative style of a house, I will scream at my book: enough already! Still, in the best novels, the setting supports the story in an integral way. When I recall...Read More

I often take a camera with me when I walk. In my neighborhood, I never know when I might run into something fun to photograph—like this toilet or the mommy and baby ducks I posted yesterday. Later, the photos become fodder for writing. YOUR Turn! Take a walk with your camera. Photograph anything that intrigues...Read More

We’ve had a challenging week. My son and I have had a stomach virus. The weather has reminded me more of November than May. And today, right after I wrote and published a brilliant blog post (you’ll have to trust me on this), I updated my blog system. Oops! That small action wiped out my...Read More

My 9th grade English teacher loved the word garage. I didn’t get it. For me, the word garage conjured up images of oil spots and old tools. She kept saying, “Listen to the sound, to how the word rolls off your tongue: garage.” This morning as I walked the dog, her words came back to...Read More