Sometimes, I just need to think.  Life is busy, praise God, and time to think is a sweet luxury. This weekend, I am home almost alone....just myself and my 18-year-old daughter.  My hubby took my two teenage sons on a father/son retreat, leaving us girls here alone and I've actually had time to think. As a writer, especially, I need thinking time.  So far, the results of my thinking are: 1) I thought of a title for an article I've been wanting to write for a while, 2) I thought of an approach to a chapter in a book I'm writing, 3) I thought of a way to approach a rather sensitive subject without tossing blame directly onto certain people by name. 4) I thought of doing this blog post. So, my thinking has been very productive so far. Writers, do you take time to think?  I grab every opportunity I have to do some serious thinking about my writing goals.  For me, it's important to keep my goals in front of me as it makes me more likely to work to fulfil...

I teach my writing students to get to know other writers of all genres.  This is great advice, just as getting to know other small business owners will benefit a small business owner.  Based on this advice, and the requests of several of my students, I am starting a writer's group!  I am very excited to be a part of this idea and am happy to organize our meetings. Benefits of a writer's group: Helps writers expand their experience by talking with other writers Helps us learn the processes that other writers go through in their efforts and learn new techniques Helps us meet really awesome people with a common interest Gives us a new focus by allowing our work to be viewed by new eyes Motivates us to stay on focus Gives us valuable opportunities to receive criticism from others, as well as opportunity to stretch our thinking through critiquing others I suppose I could go on and on with benefits of a writer's group, but I'll keep this short.  A few of my perso...

Lately I've seen a regular theme in the writing blogs I follow and that theme is simply that the best avenue to writing is to write. John Steinbeck once said,  “I have written a great many stories and I still don’t know how to go about it except to write it and take my chances.”   He knew that the "secret" to writing is to write. Writing is a process.  In the past two weeks, I've sold two articles (one just this morning!) and they were alike in that they both required a lot of thinking before I actually wrote them down.  I don't have the luxury of a certain time of day I can set aside for writing. I have eight children and am still home schooling my youngest two, so their needs come first.  Even though five of my eight have grown and left home, they call, text and email frequently to talk to their mom, so I'm still in demand in their lives.  (I'm so glad!)  Anyway, I say all that to emphasize that my writing does not have a schedule or predictable t...