There are two things most writers seem almost trained to not talk about: money and the likelihood they will never “make it.” On the money front, it’s everything from how much (or little) writers make…to how important having money to begin with can lead to making more money as a writer. (It’s a topic definitely […]

I believe this to be generally true: If you wait to feel inspired by bigger things every time you write, it’s likely you will never get much writing done. But I don’t buy into the common belief that inspiration is for amateurs. I have a very workaday approach to writing that I’m sure comes from […]

My sister was five years older than me, and music (and books) were her refuge. Because she tended to hang out with people a bit older than her, the music she listened to was definitely well ahead of what I bought as a kid. One day on her bedroom floor was an album with a […]

[This got a bit long…] We live in a world where so many of us are told we can become anything we want to be. From a young age, we’re told if we simply work hard, all our dreams will come true. (And the sharper side of that message: if they don’t, it’s all your […]

A friend who has been very busy with some bigger things life has thrown their way in recent years is finally taking a deep breath and sitting down to write. They recently asked me a couple questions and gave me a compliment that made me smile: I want to be more like you when I […]

Last week was Thanksgiving in the United States. Because many companies give employees Thursday and Friday off, I usually add to the days and arrange to have the entire week off. Last week was one of the best weeks I can remember. It’s not that we went anywhere special or did spectacular things. Rather, we […]

James Rebanks’s book, The Shepherd’s Life, chronicles the life of a modern Scottish shepherd. I’ve seen it described as a book about doing very hard work to avoid simply working hard (i.e. working the land vs. having a busy day job in an office). There’s a bit in the introduction about this, and how some […]

Seven years ago today, I shared an entry here in which I mentioned a new book was knocking around my mind. I figured that book might take three or four years to get to a readable state — with day job demands and a life to live. Seven years later, it’s almost there. Seven Years […]

Happiness by Carl Sandburg I asked the professors who teach the meaning of life to tell me what is happiness. And I went to famous executives who boss the work of thousands of men. They all shook their heads and gave me a smile as though I was trying to fool with them And then […]