• Mom’s Write: Why I’m An Artist Date Rule Breaker

    I’m an Artist Date rule-breaker. There I said it. I like Julia Cameron’s THE ARTIST’S WAY. I love this idea of a weekly Artist Date—you know where she says you must go fill your artist’s well on an outing—alone. She recommends going to a museum or a play or…

  • We’re All in this Together: Rejection Post #2

    Yesterday, I featured several children’s writers and asked them to weigh in on dealing with rejection. Today, we hear from a few more writers. Amie Rose Rotruck Author of “Young Wizards Handbook: How to Trap a Zombie, Track a Vampire, and Other Hands-On Activities for Monster Hunters” and “Bronze…

  • We’re All in This Together: Rejection Post #1

    I am a member of several writing circles. One thing that we all have in common is persisting in the face of rejection. I’m starting a new series of posts this week featuring some of my writer friends. I’m calling it “We’re All in This Together” because many times…

  • Writing Quote Wednesday: Imperfection

    “As artists and as human, we have to learn to color inside the line that is imperfect, messy, or even a mistake. Nothing in your life will ever be just right. There will always be pressures and conflicts, making errant smudges and splatters on your life. Living a “good”…

  • Writing Quote Wednesday: Beautiful Things

    “Sometimes, beautiful things are not recognized by more than just one or two people. That doesn’t make them less beautiful.” Life After Art: What You Forgot About Life and Faith Since You Left the Art Room by Matt Appling Have you struggled with your writing? Do you wonder if…

  • Mom’s Write: The Writing Life is Not a Race

    Ready, Set, Go! Do you ever feel like we writers are in a race to the finish line? The person with the most endurance, training, talent is going to be the winner.  If you are a mom writer, you might even feel like you’ll never be able to stay…

  • Writing Quote Wednesday: Becoming an Artist

    “You don’t make art after you become an artist. You become an artist by ceaselessly making art.” –Seth Godin, THE ICARUS DECEPTION: HOW HIGH WILL YOU FLY?   These pea shoots are barely popping out of the March ground. But little by little they will make their way up…

  • Writing Quote Wednesday: Curiosity and Rigor

    Last fall I watched several 99u videos as part of a class I was taking. One video with Andrew Zuckerman really stood out. Andrew Zuckerman’s 99u talk: “On Curiosity, Rigor, and Learning as You Go”   My favorite quote from this video is this: “When curiosity and rigor get…

  • Writing Quote Wednesday: Risk

    “Risk is essential. It’s scary. Every time I sit down and start the first page of a novel I am risking failure.” —Madeleine L’Engle from Madeleine L’Engle Herself as quoted in The Literary Ladies: Guide to the Writing Life by Nava Atlas, p. 79   I had the privilege…

  • Writing Quote Wednesday: Imagination

    “Imagination, which is a quality writers must have, does not mean the ability to weave stories out of nothing. In the right sense, imagination is a response to what is going on—a sensitiveness to which outside things appeal. It is a composition of sympathy and observation.” —Willa Cather, from…