Would you rather: read the same book over and over for the rest of your life OR have to type out every book you read? Would you rather: publish your unedited middle school journals OR take a year of physical education as an adult? Would you rather: read your work in front of an audience…
Category: Writing Career
The Writer As Serial (Book) Monogamist
Very early in my career, when I was visiting there for my class reunion, I held a booksigning at a bookstore in my hometown in Iowa. There were few interested customers. The store manager, obviously thinking to cheer me up, told me a story about how author Robert James Waller had held a booksigning there…
The Resolution Revolution
Today marks the 20th anniversary of meeting my husband. While we hit it off immediately, there were, and still are, plenty of things upon which we do not always agree. New Year’s Resolutions were one of them back then. My husband is a big picture kind of guy; he loves proposing grand schemes and mobilizing teams…
Writing As Therapy?
Before the pandemic, a good friend of mine wrote in public places, environments where there were people around and quiet background noise. That was his routine for over twenty years. With those places no longer open, along with all the other stressors of the pandemic, he stopped writing. Now he is struggling with anxiety and…
Giving Back versus Giving it Away
In the midst of widespread debates about the national minimum wage and the ethics of unpaid internships, where does the striving writer feature? I’ve been struggling to define my own boundaries as a professional and a volunteer. An eager artist with plenty (too much?) to say, I tend to shout “yes!” to opportunities first and…