Archive for the 'Meditations' Category

For When Writing Is Hard

“Writing is hard work. A clear sentence is no accident. Very few sentences come out right the first time, or even the third time. Remember this in moments of despair. If you find that writing is hard, it’s because it is hard. It’s one of the hardest things that people do.” -William Zinsser   When people find out I’m an
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How to Value Your Story to Write The Honest Truth

When you’ve decided you’re going to write your story, you need to know it’s the most important thing you could be doing. But unless you value it highly, this can be the most debilitating obstacle. For such a long time, I felt my story wasn’t important. Who wanted to read mine? I didn’t know who my story had made me. It’d been
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My Embarassing Trick to Making Writing Into Easy Self-Improvement

“…Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me….” – Jesus I‘ve had this thought before. I’ll bet you have too. But this time, I think I’ve finally figured out how to make it stick. Maybe it’s not that earth-shattering. Or maybe it is–I don’t know. I want to believe it is because
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Writing for All the Wrong Reasons

Do most writers start writing because they want to teach readers something? I think I did. Then when I realized writing is So Very Hard, I shifted to hoping I might merely bring some people hope. But I started to realize no one without hope really reads books. So eventually, I think maybe I was only writing for myself, as a natural response to
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Let the Work Do Its Work

My computer hums on my lap. Next to me, my phone buzzes, and Twyla Tharp’s book on “the creative habit” sits with my glass of wine on the side table. Behind me is the big window with the tree in full leaf. Beneath the window is the bookshelf stuffed to overflowing with all the books I’m unable to stop pretending
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