Writing under a time crunch is one of the best ways to kick procrastination in the pants. All you need is a timing device. A clock on the wall will work, but it's even better if it's a countdown timer. Lots of cell phones have timers that will beep or buzz when your time's up. Tick tick tick tick--WAIT! I'm not ready! The urge to prepare…
Writing and life are inseparable. I think this is why Natalie Goldberg applied the Zen lessons she learned to the practice of life, art, and writing. This morsel of wisdom, the third and final in the list she shared at WOTS, reminds her audience to "make positive effort for the good." I almost seems too simple, too transparent. Practically speaking, Natalie used the example of forcing herself to…
"We're sorry to inform you that your submission was not a good fit for our magazine. Best of luck finding a place for it elsewhere." Haven't we all been there? There's no way I can avoid being refused or ignored when I take my art and show it to the masses. Rejection is a fact of the writing life. How in the world do I find ways to keep my…
I was entranced by the candid, encouraging and graceful presence of Natalie Goldberg earlier this month. She spoke as the keynote at the Write on the Sound Writers' Conference in Edmonds, WA the first weekend of this month and the theater was packed. Natalie is very famous for her book Writing Down the Bones. She began her talking by jumping right into her process of discovering herself and becoming…