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Lessons From Being Interviewed

I don't like being interviewed. That's the first thing I learned. A fellow writer came to our home for a short profile piece she is doing on the contributing writers for Focus magazine, the local Scugog magazine I write for every now ...

When you don’t know where to start

Not every lead introduces itself to the writer. Some do. There have been times I'm in the middle of an interview, or research, and the lead jumps out at me in a spangly pantsuit and yells "Start your article with me! I'm ...

Summer Reading’s Joy

Nothing beats the freedom of summer reading. One book after another. On the dock, in the hammock, laying down, sitting up, even walking from couch to fridge there is so much time, space and place to read. During my most recent sabbatical ...

Don’t Despair Between Assignments

It's been my experience as a freelance writer, especially in the beginning years, that there can be stretches of time between assignments that can be a blessing in a very good disguise. Those gaps  between projects used to make me nervous, until ...

The Joy of a Writer’s Group

"That is absolutely incredibly magnificent. I LOVE it!" That is stage one of a writer's group, usually for beginning writers who are building courage. It's a huge deal to read your writing in front of others. A safe group brimming over with ...

Taylor Swift’s Writing Advice

"Write in real time." That was Taylor Swift's writing advice to 45,000 (mostly girls and women of course) in Toronto's Rogers Centre last week. Clearly, writing is therapeutic to Swift. She didn't apologize. And she gave a prescription to her faithful followers: ...

When Writers Choke on Olives

Someday, I can write about this. That's what I thought as I flopped around like a gagging rag doll in my husband's arms as he performed the Heimlich maneuver-ish to dislodge the olive pit stuck in my throat. In the first five ...

Other Writer Syndrome

The other day, I diagnosed a friend with OWS (Other Writer Syndrome). She was telling me that she used to think she would write a book, until she read the writing of someone else and grew discouraged. My friend is suffering from ...

How to Spend Less and Give More

Read this article on how to expand your giving, published in Childview.

The Dog Ate My Kid’s Homework

A how-to on interesting your children in homework, including a look into the mind of a homework-avoiding mastermind, published in Childview.

The Power of a Mentor

A writing mentor can make all the difference. I have had several. Now one of my greatest joys is to be one. And I absolutely still need one. I think the most effective and empowering mentoring is organic. A friendship is growing. ...

How busy is it good to be?

Two inches past busy. That is how much writing and editing I like to have and how busy I like to be. That means my plate is stacked high, but nothing is falling off the edge. I can still carry it. A ...

CASUAL E-NEWSLETTER

Every now and then I write a short e-newsletter. I’d love to have you join.

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