Sometimes adolescence seems like centuries ago, and sometimes, at 34, I still feel like the same insecure girl I was over 2 decades ago.
Much has changed, of course, and many things are the same. Or better. A great number are still undetermined.
To celebrate growth and reflection, I thought I would write a letter to my 12-year-old self. Continue reading
Being a writer can be difficult – especially when you’re just getting started. People might think writing is just a fun, creative hobby, but it can actually be quite stressful when you’re trying to make it your profession. Here’s a list of common struggles every writer faces from time to time: Continue reading
On Friday, the New York Times released its new Social Media Guidelines for its newsroom.
The guidelines covered a variety of topics, but the one that has everyone talking is its first and most vital point: “In social media posts, our journalists must not express partisan opinions, promote political views, endorse candidates, make offensive comments or do anything else that undercuts The Times’s journalistic reputation.”
And while the intention behind these guidelines is clear: The Times wants to remain a nonbiased organization – it seems impractical and frankly inadvisable to require employees to follow these guidelines in today’s society. Continue reading
October is here – Halloween, Indigenous People Day, and pumpkin spice everything happens during this month. What rings most important to writers everywhere is one word: NaNoPrep!
This month is the time to gear up for NaNoWriMo, which can be both refreshing and excruciating! All writers know about the stressfest NaNo in November tends to be. Crossing the 50K word finish line is enough to send even the most seasoned scribe running for the hills. I won my first NaNo in 2014. It launched my indie romance writing career with the release of my debut novel, The Cougarette. In subsequent years, I’ve come to learn that what you do in October can make your November a little easier. Continue reading
You can’t punch a keystroke these days without running into a blog post about stress and how to rid yourself of it. Unsolicited advice inundates your social media timelines. It’s plastered within the glossy pages of magazines in your doctor’s office. And, be honest: we all have that one friend who swears by the rigors of CrossFit for calm.
Almost all of these advancements in stress relief have one thing in common: a financial investment. You end up shelling out $69.95 a month for a yoga studio membership, grasping the few precious moments of om that you can fit into your over-packed schedule. Monthly rubdowns by a talkative masseuse who insists on telling you why Game of Thrones is required viewing can be pricey as well. If these options do the trick for you, by all means…but I have a suggestion.
A free suggestion. (I have your attention now, don’t I?) Continue reading
I’m either a ‘gotta have it’ or ‘really don’t need it’ kind of shopper. There’s rarely an in between. The neon need it now: add to cart sign flashed in my mind as I browsed online a few weeks ago. I’d heard of a new-to-me company, Truth Tanks, while listening to my favorite podcast. And when I went to check out the website, I discovered what I’ve now officially deemed my current favorite top.
Written across the front are 6 simple words: Be you. The world will adjust. Continue reading
I know that yes, technically I have as many hours in the day as Beyoncé. But even if that is true, I still don’t always feel like I have enough hours to do all the things I want and need to do. It inevitably seems like certain items on my TDL go left unchecked, and if I’m being completely honest, other tasks that didn’t even make the original list (ahem, a Modern Family rerun and a “quick” Target stop) manage to get crossed off.
For the sake of time management and better utilizing those same 24 hours in the day that Queen Bey and I share, I’m taking a closer look at what’s been worth my time lately, and what hasn’t. Continue reading
I have been working from home for almost six months now, and it’s safe to say that there are some things that I expected, others that I did not, and everywhere in between. Prior to spending every day in my home office, I spent every day in a classroom – and that’s a pretty big difference. When you go from being a student to being a teacher, your entire life revolves around an academic schedule: September to June, Monday to Friday, holidays, spring break, bells and structure. I have lived nearly all of my life on that schedule, so it’s probably not surprising that taking the leap to a “WFH” life is nothing short of a culture shock.
Now, as a full-time writer and editor, I make my own schedule. I no longer have bells that tell me to move on to the next thing, or a specific time that I have to go eat lunch. It’s good and bad and every shade of grey in the middle. Six months in, and I’ve learned a lot. Here are some of the takeaways so far. Continue reading
Writers often have a love/hate relationship with finishing a manuscript. On one hand, there’s nothing quite like the sweet relief that comes with writing ‘The End’ when finishing a work in progress (or WIP). I recently had this gratifying experience with the first draft of my upcoming novel, The Follow. Over sixty-six thousand words of my life are saved and awaiting revision. This is usually where the flip-side of the joy of finishing a project begins. The fear that seeps in when you aren’t sure what to do next can be frustrating at best and unproductive at worst. Continue reading
If I were to start a podcast, I’d consider ‘Deep Thoughts In The Shower’ as a contender for its title. Admittedly, I’m not the first person to share that some of my best thinking happens during bath time. There’s even scientific reasoning to support it. So, it should come as no surprise that hopping out of the shower was the moment when the idea first popped into my mind, and it’s been marinating there ever since: If I want something, I have to work to create it. Continue reading
