My new goal: Beat Fredrik Backman in Best in Show.
Last spring, I wanted to be Fredrik Backman. I don’t mean famous. Or Swedish. Or brilliant. Or a guy. No, I wanted to be the writer whose words could cause a quinquagenarian former high school principal, not prone to emotional outbursts, to weep openly in an auto...Embracing clouds in the sky and in life.
“The bluest skies you’ve ever seen in Seattle.” That lyric, from Bobby Sherman’s theme song to Here Come the Brides, has been stuck in my head since I was five years old. It is so true and so not true. And I am grateful that it is both. Last night, my husband...Re-inventing yourself—or an organization or a nation—only works if you face the truth.
The concept of re-inventing oneself seems consummately American to me. As the grandchild and great-grandchild of immigrants, this idea, that I am not now all that I can be, was not merely passed down through generations of storytellers but branded on my heart and...Things may be strongest where they’re broken, but they could still use a little support . . . or what I learned from an arthritic foot.
Louise Penny once wrote, “Things are strongest where they’re broken.” There are so many jewels sprinkled throughout Penny’s writing. Sentences formed without adornment that illuminate a feeling or belief so genuine and universal you wonder why you hadn’t thought to...Retreat to advance: Strategy for success
The WFWA writing retreat in Albuquerque was an amazing week of learning and growth. A retreat is a powerful way to advance your writing. What’s my strategy to get the most out of it? Remove, Engage, Think, Realize, Elicit, Aspire, Tangle and Scribble
The Clock is ticking. Am I spending my time or investing it?
All of this made me think about how I am spending my time. I got caught on the phrase: spending time. If you think about it, spend is technically correct but indistinct. It doesn’t really say anything about value . . . The value of time is not like that of money. You can’t bank time, make more, or spend it later. Time is marching on. Whether with intention or not, we are going to spend it. How we spend it matters.