“We have met the enemy, and he is us,” the saying goes.* In this case, I’m speaking of what I’ve come to believe may be the creative artist’s worst enemy: perfectionism. I’ve written about perfectionism before, but it showed it’s ugly face to me again recently in such a wayContinue Reading
Entering the indie universe back in late 2013 has been one of the greatest blessings in my life, but it initially wreaked havoc on my mental state. The reason? This never-experienced-before, desperate feeling of overwhelm that I wasn’t prepared for and had no idea how to process. Don’t get meContinue Reading
Waiting to be discovered is not a good idea. You’ve heard the stories. Alijah Harrison, now an international model, was discovered while stopped at a gas station to get a candy bar. Ashton Kutcher while at a University of Iowa hangout. Channing Tatum while performing in a dance group onContinue Reading
by Jeff Kuhn The events in Blue Sky Lightening took place 25 to 30 years ago. Many friends told me I should write a book about my two near-death experiences and the battle it took to regain full health. This was 25 years ago, and I was only 35 yearsContinue Reading
How can you improve your writing life? After over 20 years as a full-time professional writer, I’ve learned some things about that. Whether you’re writing part- or full-time; fiction, nonfiction, or freelance; it doesn’t matter—the bottom line is you’re spending a lot of time using your creative brain, as wellContinue Reading
by Jodi Levon I love helping people find their own intuitive voice and their happiness! My intuition has, aside from the Universe, always been my best friend. It’s helped me out of danger, into love, to new and exciting experiences and to my higher soul-self. So when I experienced aContinue Reading
What is your true motivation for writing? That thing that gets you out of bed to write early in the morning or keeps you going late at night to get that next chapter done? What picks you up off the floor after a devastating rejection or bad review? You mayContinue Reading
by Sara Secora When I started writing the first book, Throne of Lies, it began in 2007 when I was only seventeen. I was an introvert homebody with a love for nerd culture like video games and books. This fascination led me toward writing my own story about another girl whoContinue Reading
You have dreams of becoming a real “author.” But how do you get there? Here’s how it usually goes. You create a story and take it somewhere for feedback, maybe to a writer’s group, some writing friends, a contest that offers critiques, a workshop, or an editor. Your ultimate goalContinue Reading
I wrote my first story in the first grade. It was about a monster who ate my baby sister, so I voyaged into the creature’s stomach, rescued her, then slayed the evil beast. The tale freaked out my teachers, but it started my strange journey into the world of writing.Continue Reading
What is the key to persevering in the writing life? Successful writers will tell you to just hang in there and keep going. Conference speakers encourage you to never give up. Writing friends remind you that no writing journey is easy, and we all have to get through the difficultContinue Reading
Note: Helen and Lorri are a mother/daughter writing team. How unique is that? I had to ask them how they make this unique writing relationship work. Below are their answers to my questions. —Colleen How did you both come to be writers? In other words, what were your individual journeysContinue Reading