The other day, I couldn't stop thinking about making ice cream. Cream cheese ice cream to be specific, with Kahlua and caramel liqueur mixed in. "You could try using Greek yogurt instead," I told myself. "That would be better for you." Having jumped aboard the healthy...
My writing coach career started a good 25 years ago without my even realizing it. I'd helped a literary agent with her book proposal and then her book. She mentioned me to a colleague who had a client with monster talent but not enough drive or direction. That person...
The tomato plant looked like it was dying, with unstaked branches that sprawled across the hot ground. Despite the wilted and soft leaves starting to turn brown, it still sported plenty of shiny red cherry tomatoes. But they wouldn't last long at this rate, and...
When I self-published my book Busting the Brass Ceiling in 2020, I didn't expect huge sales. Even though I called in lots of favors and got a lot of discounted editing and design rates, I didn't even expect to make my money back. That didn't matter. Or at least it...
If writing a book tops your list of regrets, you could be missing out on more than you know. These days, more and more people are finding a sense of fulfillment through penning their memoirs. Whether for public or family consumption, the process can be just as...
Like an ambush predator, I’ve been sneaking up on that novel I’ve wanted to write for so long in the hopes of finally creating a story that works. I’m starting to talk about it with friends I met decades ago in the High Sierra town that will be the novel’s setting,...
My two-year-old English Cocker Spaniel, Moke, has figured out a life lesson that has eluded many of us. His secret: doing what it takes. Like his older Aussie mix brother, Misha, Moke loves to a killer game of chase. The problem, of course, is that the only time you...
I often joke that if you’re experiencing writer’s self-doubt, then you must, by definition, be a writer. I’m not sure why we’re all so ridiculously insecure, but that does seem to be the case. If you don’t agree with me, you probably don’t know a lot of writers. Take...
I don't ever wonder why people would hire a book/writing coach like me. Twenty-five years of helping clients work through their writing struggles and publish their books tells me all I need to know. But if there was any lingering doubt, all I’d have to do is look at...
Is me or I correct? Do you know? Or have you joined the apparent national movement to get that wrong? The trend drives me so nutty that I’m going to do my bit to reverse it by reposting a version of this rant every quarter. Of course, it’s hard to blame anyone for the...
