Agents are Human

Photo by Ketut Subiyanto on Pexels.com I recently read an email from an anxious writer about whether or not we have to grab the agents attention in the first 500 words. Honestly I think that is probably a good buffer of about 250 words - and we need to remember that agents are human. Sometimes … Continue reading Agents are Human

Three Ways to Ease Back into the Writing Life

A few years ago my daughter was about three years old and I was home with my second, a bouncing (literally) baby boy. Life couldn't have been better. I had everything I wanted. A loyal husband, enough money to pay the bills, and now two beautiful, healthy babies. What more did I need? Besides sleep … Continue reading Three Ways to Ease Back into the Writing Life

It’s A Writer’s Life for Me!

"Writing is a craft, and storytelling is an art, and together they form this nebulous interstice where it's just clowns juggling medium-sized cats and those cats are juggling little cat-sized chainsaws and the whole place is on fire and did I mention the "place" is actually a blimp and it's drifting swiftly toward a flickering … Continue reading It’s A Writer’s Life for Me!

How to be a Writer

Rumi tells us there is 'a light seed grain inside. You fill it with yourself, or it dies.' This is the writing life in a nutshell. You may do it for the dream of helping someone, for the dream of being someone's favorite author. You may do it for the money (nothing wrong with this … Continue reading How to be a Writer

Writers With Day Jobs

Imposter syndrome is a real thing. It is so real, it's been named. And we don't have to explain what it means, do we, because if you write, you have struggled with this. Let me be the first to assure you, dear writer, that you are not alone. Working on the customer service desk at … Continue reading Writers With Day Jobs

Being Useful

I mean, is there any better feeling? I've got some useful websites for beginner writers and an online writing conference to share details about. Just found this awesome app called the Hemmingway app: and it does exactly what you think it does - highlight text that is clunky or wordy or too confusing. Where has … Continue reading Being Useful

Why Am I Doing This?

Someone asked me recently what this blog was for. I thought I knew the answer to that until I was asked directly. This blog started as a way to communicate what I've been doing in Texas to my friends and family back home in Canada. Time saver: I'm still doing yoga and hanging with my … Continue reading Why Am I Doing This?

Autumn Falls

Autumn, how I’ve missed you. Is there anything more lovely to look forward to after a brutally hot summer? The promise of cozy sweaters and cool sheets. The anticipation of sitting in front of a roaring fire (or a picture of one on your TV) with a book and a mug of hot (Irish) chocolate? … Continue reading Autumn Falls

Where Is Your Mountain?

Where is your focus today? To be honest, I have taken pride in my ability to multitask, multi-focus. I'm working two jobs while studying for a third. And writing my second fantasy novel. Oh, and I'm raising two toddlers. So...mountains are not being moved, needless to say. Unless you count the laundry, every two weeks … Continue reading Where Is Your Mountain?