Imagine that Life is one big cafe.You come in, sit down, and look at the menu.What are you hungry for?Hmmm.There are so many distractions. The jukebox is playing, and you didn't choose the tune. You get up, fumbling with the change in your pocket, and examine the...

I came to a great realization today, in my journaling, as I often do. (Are you doing your morning pages? I am a mother, and thus very skilled at nagging. I won't let you off the hook on this one!)We pass through stages in our lives. As women, we are Diana, goddess of...

The British are brave. When they talk about keeping a stiff upper lip, they mean it.And they are back in the game--after One Day. That's typical of them, you know. They faced down the Spanish Armada. They went to the cliffs of Dover in rowboats and saved countless...

For several years, London was my second home. I kept a flat in Hans Place, behind Harrod's, and spent many happy times there. I came to love the humor and bravery of the British people.It breaks my heart that London has been attacked. But if there is one thing I know,...

Okay, so we've gotten it, that writing our own "movies" doesn't work very well. The cast is unruly. The sets change constantly. It rains when sunshine would suit our plot-line better, etc.Etc. Etc. Etc.!But there IS a story, and it stars you. It's your own, authentic...

That's me.I run too fast sometimes, and too far. Do you?Today, for all practical intents and purposes, I will finish my new historical, "The Man from Stone Creek." I've worked especially hard on this book, battling a persistent case of bronchitis and a certain tempest...

Today, let us celebrate the gift of Freedom.Who gave us this gift?Well, inititally, God. He planted the yearning in our hearts long ago. But after God came others, who spoke up in spite of their fear.They framed the Constitution.They fought and died to establish,...

For generating ideas, I mean.And ideas come in handy, don't they?Not just story ideas, but ideas for living, for solving problems, and making dreams come true.Are you on the edge of your seat yet?You should be.Now, breathe....Here's the trick. (I learned it from Brian...

What have you been denying yourself? What small, nourishing pleasure? What touched you too deeply, so that you thought the best thing, the only thing, to do was back away?For me, it's music.I love music of all kinds, everything from Gregorian chant to the Beatles....

Let's start with soundtracks. Your movies, of course, have them. They usually go something like this:You'll never make it.Who do you think you are?It's selfish to think of yourself first.Something will always go wrong, so why try?If you really love me, you'll....(fill...

I write Morning Pages, every day, ala Julia Cameron's "The Artist's Way". Few things have had a more powerfully positive affect on my life. My notebook is my portable therapist.Here's what you do.You buy a thick, cheap notebook. (It's important that it be cheap,...

If you follow this blog, you're a reader.If you're a reader, you have a highly developed imagination.This is a GOOD thing, for the most part, but there are perils to be considered.Watch out for those mind movies!The ones you make up in your head, starring you.These...