What I learned this week
Sometimes, surprise yourself.
Similar Posts
On burning bridges
For the last couple of weeks, I’ve been reading some version of this advice over and over: Don’t burn bridges. Be nice to everyone. You never know when someone will be able to help you down the road. Which, oh please. Sometimes the best thing you can do in life is burn bridges. Douse them…
How a Book Is Born, Part 13
I’m getting closer and closer to the end, which means I have to figure out the best way to tie up the plot – to create an emotionally satisfying resolution. Often I have this in mind from the beginning, and the writing just drives toward that resolution. Many times I have known the ending before…
On tumble-down gardens
My mother once gave me a shopworn gift for Christmas and said, “I’m giving this to you because you don’t mind broken things.” I’ve often thought about this statement. Over the years, it has come to mean different things: that I can see the value in everyone and everything, even if imperfect. That I have…
On your one big thing
I originally wrote this post over on Be Your Own Book Doctor, but I wanted to post it here because it has so much to do with what I’ve been posting about a lot here, on doing the work. The key is doing the right work: As I know I’ve said, I get a lot…
Too many choices
The other day I was at the grocery store trying to buy some salad dressing. You’d think this would be a fairly straightforward task: pick the type of dressing (ranch, Italian) and the brand (Kraft, Newman’s Own) and put it in your cart. But as I stood there staring at the vast array of possibilities…
How a Book Is Born: The End
So, how’d it go? Did I successfully complete my mission? Oh, was there any doubt? (Please, no citing the panicky post where I wondered if I could meet the deadline.) I finished the 50,000 word draft of Catch a Falling Star on November 14. I let it rest for a couple of days, and then…