• Writing Quote Wednesday: Courage

    “…Being courageous doesn’t mean you don’t have fear; it means your willing to act in spite of your fear. Every courageous person I’ve ever known struggled with fear, but they were willing to act in spite of that fear. That’s what made them courageous.” —Michael Hyatt, This is Your…

  • Writing Quote Wednesday: Being Busy

    “Another thing that estranges us from our dreams is everyday distraction. Rarely is the distraction so large you notice it. I’ve never met someone who says, “I was unable to write my great American novel because my house burned down.” Instead, I’ve met hundreds of people who tell me…

  • Writing Quote Wednesday: Nurturing the Writer

    “When earth is rich it bids defiance to droughts, yields in abundance, and of the best quality.”  –Letter from Thomas Jefferson to his daughter, Martha, from Philadelphia July 21, 1793 p. 22 THE DOMESTIC LIFE OF THOMAS JEFFERSON, letters compiled by Sarah Randolph   In this quote, Thomas Jefferson…

  • Writing Quote Wednesday: Progress

    “The most important component in happiness in any area of your life is the ability to make steady progress toward a significant goal.”  Michael Hyatt Podcast Episode 49, 3 Components of Job Satisfaction One thing I love about gardening is that you can see steady progress. Before buds even…

  • Writing Quote Wednesday: Do It!

    “Doing is better than not doing, and if you do something badly you’ll learn to do it better.”  —THE CREATIVE HABIT by Twyla Tharp   One of the things that’s been plaguing me lately is noticing that I’m not executing something particularly well in my writing. When it comes…

  • Writing Quote Wednesday: Just Write

    “Nothing you write is wasted. Whether you use what you’ve produced or not, you will have learned from the experience…and you can never know too much.”  —Holly Lisle in MUGGING THE MUSE I’m beginning Teachers Write this week with superstar writers Kate Messner, Gae Polisner, Jo Knowles, and Jen…

  • Writing Quote Wednesday: The Backstory

    “Before you can tell others your story, you have to tell yourself its prequel.” —K.M. Weiland, OUTLINING YOUR NOVEL: MAP YOUR WAY TO SUCCESS In other words, as the writer, you have to know the backstory of your story. The reader doesn’t necessarily need to know very many of…

  • Writing Quote Wednesday: Having Kids and Writing

    “I can count all the ways in which being a mother has enriched my understanding of the world, of character, my sense of the future and my attachment to it. I can’t imagine what kind of writer I’d be if I didn’t have my kids.” —Barbara Kingsolver, The Telegraph…

  • Writing Quote Wednesday: Making Time to Write

    “If you don’t write when you don’t have time for it, you won’t write when you do have time for it.” —Katerina Stoykova Klemer   After my second  child is born, I wondered if my writing life was over. I didn’t know when I would be able to fit…

  • Writing Quote Wednesday: The World Needs Your Words

    “The world needs you, and it needs your gifts. You must become generous with yourself again. But you will only become generous with yourself when you are able to release your fear of failure.”  Life After Art: What You Forgot About Life and Faith Since You Left the Art…