Feb 1, 20162 minA Freelance Writer’s Guide to Dealing with BurnoutMy pen flew across the room, narrowly missing my 14-year-old cat who had chosen that moment to stick his head out from behind the sofa ...
Jan 25, 20163 minHow to Get Your Novel Off on the WRONG FootThe good news for writers is that Amazon Kindle and similar platforms allow them to get their books directly to readers. No longer does ...
Jan 18, 20162 min7 Healthy Activities That Won’t Take Five Minutes of Your TimeAh, yes, the glamorous life of the freelance writer. It you have a day job, like me, you stumble out of bed at the crack of dawn. Looking...
Jan 11, 20162 minWriting with ManiaDuring my struggles with bipolar disorder, my main challenge has been depression. I've found dozens of ways to force myself to write when...
Jan 4, 20162 minCoping with a Bad Review"Writers fall into two groups: Those who bleed copiously and visibly at any bad review and those who bleed copiously and secretly at any...
Dec 20, 20153 min9 Favorite Holiday Movies and Specials and How They Made Me a Better WriterOne of the things I love about the month of December is the chance to see some of my favorite Christmas movies and specials. These are ...
Apr 1, 20153 minMy Three “Magic” Wishes I've never had the good fortune of coming across a genie's lamp. It's probably just as well. If I did, I can see myself wasting my wishes...
Mar 18, 20153 minWhere Do Characters Come From?Nonfiction and editing are my bread and butter. They help pay rent on the apartment and keep the car insured. But I have been spending s...
Mar 11, 20154 minHow to Keep Your Muses HealthyLet's be honest. My muses can be total bitches, especially when I'm already feeling depressed and they heap criticism on top of me. Neve...
Mar 5, 20152 minFighting Depression with Everything I HaveIt's been a while since I've added anything to this blog. That's because, in spite of ECT, depression is still kicking my tail. Through l...
Aug 9, 20143 minA Shocking Development: How ECT Gave Me Back My Writing"There is not much else I can do for you chemically," my psychiatrist told me directly. "And that means?" I asked, trying to care. "I'm r...
Jan 14, 20143 min7 Writing Books I Can’t Do WithoutI've been writing professionally for almost 15 years now. During that time, I've done many things right…and just about as many things wro...
Jan 7, 20143 min4 POSITIVE Personality Traits That Can Lead to ProcrastinationDo you routinely experience problems with procrastination? If so, you may have been told that you were lazy, disorganized, lacked a sens...
May 3, 20132 minWhen Are You a Writer?"What do you do?" Whenever you meet someone new, you can expect this question to pop up early in the conversation. Do you tell the peopl...
Apr 30, 20132 minHow Often Should Freelance Writers Blog?When you started your freelance writing blog, you probably struggled with the question of how frequently to post. Back when I began my f...
Apr 22, 20132 min5 Phrases You Don’t Want to See in Freelance Writing Job AdsOkay, I admit it. I look at the freelance writing job ads on Craigslist. While many of them offer ridiculous terms or are just flat out...
Apr 18, 20132 minBook Review: Blogger’s Block: How to Get Rid of It Now! by Mick MichaelsI really enjoy blogging. In fact, I've been known to spend too much time on it when I should have been working on other projects. Last ...
Apr 15, 20133 min10 Leisure Activities That Make Me a Better Freelance WriterDo you remember the scene in The Shining where hapless wife Wendy Torrance sneaks into her husband, Jack's, writing room to try to get a ...
Apr 11, 20133 minDo You Have Writer’s Burnout?I'll never forget that Friday years ago when I hauled myself out of bed after only a few hours of sleep and stumbled to my computer for ...
Apr 9, 20133 min50 Things for the Freelance Writer to Tweet AboutYes, I know. Writers and other professionals are supposed to be active on social media sites. But do you ever just run out of anything ...