The importance of looking forward — I completed several courses on marriage and family therapy during college, and they naturally affirmed the importance of addressing our emotions rather than holding them in. But what happens when you get stuck in an emotional loop, unable to move forward because you simply can’t let go of your negative…

Eight takeaways for writers pursuing their creative dreams — What on earth does fantasy hockey have to do with writing? A lot, actually. But before I jump into that, let me provide a little backstory. Mention fantasy league, and most people think of the NFL. But hockey is where it’s at for my family. It was no surprise, then…

Use some basic project management skills to achieve your goals — As writers, we need to dream. It’s what motivates us to sit at a keyboard every day, without fail, regardless of whether we achieve our desired success. But, without clear steps and a commitment to achieve what we dream of, we risk never seeing our aspirations to their conclusion. As…

Removing features writers depend on is not cool — I received the notification last night that Medium removed the option to create content on its app, and this decision has me scratching my head. Why, Medium? Why would you — a content creation platform — remove a tool that makes it easy for people to create and review draft…

From vegetables to specialty items, it seems nothing is immune — I made my weekly trip to the grocery store yesterday, not feeling very confident as I walked through the doors. I only had a few items on my list, but one of those was for sugar-free creamer. For weeks now, every store near me has been short. Yesterday, they were…

How this writer keeps it in check — Rejection sucks. There’s no denying that. But when you pursue a writing career, it’s simply part of the process. Ultimately, you have a choice in how you respond. You can: Let it motivate you to learn more and try harder. Let it piss you off. Let it devastate you. Or…

Why it’s so important to get out of your own way — I haven’t posted much lately because I’ve been heads-down, revising a novel I wrote at the end of last year. But, as I spend day after day reading and reworking scenes, improving character depth, and fixing plot holes, I’ve noticed something worth sharing: To get to this point in my…

Guess what? It may be more than one. — Writing, like so many things in life, is a series of stops and starts, lessons learned along the way. As we mature — personally and professionally — our writing interests and even our overall style can change. …

What habits are holding you back? — I love the brainstorming component of writing, especially new projects. And the more involved they are, the better. But, while the churning of numerous topics feels great in my head, actually completing what I start is a different beast, and something I’ve struggled with lately. …