Breaking the Writing (or Creativity) Rules that Bind You–Time
“I don’t have enough time.” I hear this statement often as a creativity and book coach. How can you change it to “I have enough time…even if it’s not as much as I would like”? What, in your mind, is enough time to write or do your creative work? An hour? Several hours? A whole […]
Spontaneity: A Necessary Quality for Creativity
Spontaneity, the hallmark of childhood, is well worth cultivating to counteract the rigidity that may otherwise set in as we grow older. ~ Gail Sheehy ~ The fun stuff comes when someone is not so strict on sticking to the script. You’re allowed the spontaneity, and great moments can happen. ~ Jennifer Aniston ~ At […]
Writing Lessons from Shoveling Snow
Recently, our area was hit by a snowstorm that dumped two feet of snow on us. A typical later winter storm, the snow was heavy with moisture. It’s great for packing and building snowmen but not so great for clearing off sidewalks and driveways. I’d planned to attend a writer’s conference north of my home […]
Empathy–The Gift of Story
I believe that stories are incredibly important, possibly in ways we don’t understand… in giving us empathy and in creating the world that we live in. ~ Neil Gaiman ~ Even though it is a new year, the struggle to live with and make sense of the world and its current political and social challenges […]
Are You Dirty Dancing with the Muse?
One of my all-time favorite movies (in fact, I confess to watching it at least a dozen times) is Dirty Dancing, written by Eleanor Bergstein, directed by Emile Ardolino, and starring Jennifer Grey as Francis “Baby” Houseman and hunky Patrick Swayze as Johnny Castle. There are so many reasons to like this movie (besides Swayze), […]
Creative Blindfold? Time to Remove It.
MONDAY’S TAROT MESSAGE FROM THE MUSE, 12/4/17. Theme, 8 of Swords. Swords is the element of Air in the realm of mind, thoughts, attitudes, beliefs and communications. After that Full Moon in Gemini on the 3rd, it’s no wonder the theme for the week is communication, especially with yourself. See how the woman seems helpless, […]
Creativity Means Broken Rules
Recently, Bob and I spent a weekend in Virginia with our grandsons and son Stephen and daughter-in-law Mindy. The two boys, Andrew and Ryan are now 5 ½ and 3 ½ and our interactions with them has changed. Instead of bouncing, lifting, carrying, swinging and all those other physical actions that infants and toddlers love, […]
The Thrill of the Ride
With the warm weather of the last few weeks, hubby Bob has taken me out for several MGB rides. If you aren’t a car enthusiast, an MGB is a British sports car manufactured by the British Motor Corporation. As you can see, it is a two-door roadster with a convertible top, a modern-day version of […]
Charlize Theron’s Atomic Blonde Lessons for Writers
I don’t think you can create anything interesting from a comfort zone. You have to work from a place of fear and failure. ~Charlize Theron, actor~ Bob and I went to see the movie, Atomic Blonde, starring Charlize Theron. The movie is based on a graphic novel, The Coldest City, written by Anthony Johnston and […]
Stop the Fireworks! Get Your Creative Priorities Straight!
MONDAY’S TAROT MESSAGE FROM THE MUSE, 7/3/2017 Theme, 5 of Wands. Wands is the element of Fire in the realm of spirit, creativity, career and work. Five is a number of change and challenge. This week, when the US is celebrating Independence Day, avoid your personal fireworks by establishing creative priorities. All those sparks may […]