I wrote a while back about how I woke at five each day to write, but I found it difficult to keep that routine going in the summer when I started wrestling with some insomnia. Five AM became a ridiculous aspiration, so I tried six instead. (Maybe 6:30.) Seven on the weekend; I’d definitely get… Read More routine

I’ve abandoned this blog in the last couple months because I’ve been focusing on my manuscript. I’ve been on what feels like a never ending quest to improve it. I want it stronger, better. And it’s getting there, slowly. I continue to search for ways to make it better. I enrolled in a class through… Read More growing

I have a chronic problem with taking on too much, particularly at work. I have not only a strong desire, but a need to help people–even if doing so is at the cost of my own time, health, or sanity. I took a part-time position at work five months ago. Except the joke at the… Read More the power of no

I once  read that if you’re not posting at least once per week there’s no point in having a blog at all, so my original intent was to post weekly. Except then I realized some weeks I didn’t have much to write about. And I refuse to subject my readers to forced ramblings. I have… Read More low on fuel

Something nasty has been going around. Pretty much everyone I know has been sick in the last month, myself definitely included. My bout of bronchitis put a real damper on my writing. The time I can write is first thing in the morning, which I can only swing by waking up around 5am–an ungodly time… Read More hiatus

I’ve always been a sucker for New Year’s. I love the idea of a clean slate, and a new year is an opportunity to start again. The holidays have added challenges with my finding time to write, but now I’m looking forward, not back, and I know I can do better. I’d love to complete… Read More happy new year

I completed the final revisions on my first manuscript this week. It’s strange to not be working on it anymore. I’ve made it as good as I know how and there’s nothing else for me to do at this point. Which means, the time has come to start a new project. I started my second… Read More rhythm

I’ve been working on my manuscript for over five years. Yes, over five years.  I think it’s almost ready to send into the world. I’ve lost count of how many drafts I’ve completed, but I think it’s around one hundred. I do mean that literally and not as an exaggeration; I actually I low balled the… Read More 5am writer’s club