What I learned this week
Sometimes, surprise yourself.
Similar Posts
Facing fears
Ever since Jessica started middle school, every morning I have parked in the parking lot and walked to the front door with her. In the afternoons, I stand by the front door to pick her up and we walk to the car together. Everyone else, of course, drops their kids off; they just wait in…
Today’s meditation, illustrated
### My collection of travel stories, Travels with Jessica, is now available! Kindle and paperback here; other ebook formats here. And I’ve published my essay “For Jessica” as a small book. Kindle and paperback here; other ebook formats here. Don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter! I give random stuff away—and I tell…
How a Book Is Born, Part 5
So I spent a lot of the last post talking about focus, and I touched a little bit on habit, how focus is connected to habit, and I thought I would be more explicit about that. You can’t write professionally – that is to say, meeting deadlines and producing good work at reasonable intervals –…
How a Book Is Born – Part 2
So, I had my assignment, 50,000 words by December 3. But they couldn’t be just any words; they couldn’t be just a first draft. They had to be final, ready for an editor. I don’t normally write perfect first drafts; generally, I write an extended outline so that I know how the plot works out…
How a Book Is Born – Part 3
The next morning, I had a very brief synopsis ready for the publisher. Here’s what it said: Brianna Daniels has a younger sister, a step-sister, though she’s never really thought of her that way. A sweet, loving, kind step-sister who has battled a rare disease her entire life, and deserves one good thing. One magic…
The Three Most Important Things
A few years ago, freshly divorced and trying to make a living as freelance writer, I found myself overwhelmed by the demands of my new life. My daughter, who has multiple disabilities, was then three years old and unable to be in childcare – none of the programs would take her. An erratic babysitter I…