[It’s] 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 I’ve had some interesting conversations with people online...Read More

It’s nervous work. The state you need to write in is the state that others are paying large sums to get rid of. —Shirley Hazzard A week or so ago, I heard about this post from a member of a listserv I’m on: Twelve Habits of Happy, Healthy People Who Don’t Give a Sh*t about...Read More

How did it get so late so soon? —Dr. Seuss. June was a busy month for me. Between teaching and conferences, my weekends were booked solid. So I tried to move some of my weekend chores to the weekdays. I figured I could easily complete a few editing projects, lead online classes, see clients and...Read More

Multitasking is the opportunity to mess up more than one thing at a time. —Anonymous I had a meltdown. I’m not proud of it. It happens every summer, no matter how much I plan. School ends, summer begins, and my routine goes to the dogs. This year, I vowed it would be different. Yes, the kids...Read More

To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work. —Mary Oliver Have you heard of Memoto? It’s a lifelogging camera. Users clip on the tiny camera and it takes two geotagged photos a minute. The device comes with cloud space and the program will organize the photos for you. The website says, “You can...Read More

When asked, “How do you write?” I invariably answer, “one word at a time.” —Stephen King I’ve been meaning to clean the basement for some time. Every week, I dutifully scribble, “clean the basement” on my to-do list. And every week, I look at that entry, and my stomach sinks. Before I pick up a...Read More

Note From Rochelle Dear Writers, Happy June! I was delighted to be named Artist of the Month by the Southeastern Wisconsin Arts Guild (S.W.A.G.). S.W.A.G offers artists and writers an opportunity to learn about and connect with each other. The blog regularly promotes members’ events. And if that wasn’t enough, members receive discounted ticket prices...Read More

One hasn’t become a writer until one has distilled writing into a habit, and that habit has been forced into an obsession. Writing has to be an obsession. It has to be something as organic, physiological and psychological as speaking or sleeping or eating. —Niyi Osundare In the book The Power of Habit, author Charles...Read More

I mean, I have the feeling that something in my mind is poisoning everything else.            —Vladimir Nabokov Scientists who study venomous animals know that understanding how an animal’s venom affects its victim will provide the key to creating the antidote. Writers are regularly attacked and often blocked by venomous thoughts...Read More

I’ve been discouraged lately. My novel needs to be revised, and I’m not quite sure how I want to approach it. With all of the changes going on in the publishing world, I worry about the future of books and publishing. And I’m tired of tuning into social media and being barraged by constant self-promotion....Read More