Playing with Gratitude by Rochelle Melander   Many years ago, I read the book Thanks: How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier by Robert A. Emmons. Professor Emmons and his colleague Professor Mike McCullough have conducted many gratitude studies. The first looked at the effects of gratitude journaling. All of the participants...Read More

Note From Rochelle     Dear Writers,   This week, I’m bringing back Write Now! Wednesdays, an almost weekly feature highlighting writing craft and exercises. If you have an idea for a post, message me on Twitter.   Today I’m delighted to welcome poet and writing teacher Erik Fuhrer to the blog. He’s the author...Read More

Fools talk, cowards are silent, wise men listen. —Carlos Ruiz Zaffón Nearly every day, I see writers commit one of these foolish mistakes on multiple social media sites. But you don’t have to be one of them. Follow my advice and become a writer with social media savvy! Foolish Mistake #1: Make it all about...Read More

For today’s Wednesday Writing Prompt, I’m delighted to welcome Milwaukee-area writer Christi Craig. We met for coffee recently, and we talked about a passion of hers, flash nonfiction. She’s here to tell us more about the genre and challenge us to a flash fiction writing exercise. Ready, set, enjoy! Writing in Short Form: the Power...Read More

When I was in my 20s, I began keeping a commonplace book for the quotes I encountered when I read. I got the idea from Madeleine L’Engle in her book, Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art. She wrote: “(A parenthesis here about quotations and credits. I was taught in college how to footnote,...Read More

Today I’m delighted to welcome JoAnn Early Macken to the blog. She’s the amazing author of several beautiful picture books and a well-known and appreciated writing teacher. Her brand new book, Write a Poem Step by Step, offers a no-nonsense guide to writing a poem. JoAnn will be my guest speaker at the April Write Now! Mastermind...Read More

My daughter rushed into my office and blurted out, “We got blackberries!” “Seriously?” I asked her. “Yeah, Dad bought them. What do you think? Do you like blackberries?” “Wait. Seriously? Dad went out and bought a Blackberry? For who?” “Dad bought a bunch, for all of us. Don’t you just love them?” “We’ve always been...Read More

In Leaving the Bellweathers by Kristin Clark Venuti, the loyal butler Benway dreams of writing his memoirs and planting a garden in a tropical paradise, far away from the family of seven that torments him with their shenanigans in their lighthouse-turned-home. But wait! He has an out. The oath that holds him in service is...Read More

Where I live, winter is sticking around like an unwelcome guest. My mood seems to match the weather this year. Walking the dogs yesterday, I dodged ice patches as the sky spit snow at me. Usually at this time of year, I am tracking the signs of spring in my neighborhood. This year, I’m just...Read More

  I’m learning to challenge my body by trying new exercises. So instead of just running every day, I am changing it up—cycling, taking yoga, and lifting weights. I’ve discovered that it also helps to challenge my writing muscles. Instead of writing the same thing day after day, I’ve been playing with new formats and...Read More