Writing through the Wilderness
The foundation of Building Your Best Writing Life is helping writers overcome resistance and create a regular and sustainable writing practice. While this book covers a wealth of topics related to the writing life, here are my four favorite takeaways:
After several moments of scathing self-criticism, I stopped, horrified at what my mind was doing. Here were the words I had written with such passion during one of the most meaningful and amazing experiences of my life. And rather than looking back with appreciation and love for the girl who set off to take on the world, all I was focusing on was the negative and everything I wanted to change.
Life on Minnesota's North Shore in February means cold, creativity, and plenty of hygge.
Like the rest of the Midwest, the North Shore has been thrown into deep, subzero temperatures, the likes of which we haven't seen in years. The schools have been closed, the winds have been howling, and we've been quickly going through the firewood and hot cocoa.
Once we started traveling, we began to see firsthand what it looked like to live out our dreams. Through beginning our shared life in such a foreign context, we began to challenge our assumptions that life would move fixedly and predictably from one stage to the next. We began to develop instead a growth-oriented mindset of creating whatever future we wanted.
I know I'm not the only one who struggles with a fear of embracing the creative life. Embracing this role as a creator is hard work, and no matter where you are in your creative journey, taking the leap to the next level can be daunting. It's personal and different and daring, and all those delicious things that usually accompany the goals and dreams we long for most.
Since moving to Minnesota's North Shore I've had people ask what it's really like to live here year-round. In this month-by-month journal, I take you through the full year to give you a glimpse of What it's Really Like. Greetings, Northern ones. This has been a year. I think that goes without saying. We've all … Continue reading North Shore Life | December and New Beginnings
Since moving to Minnesota’s North Shore I’ve had people ask what it’s really like to live here year-round. In this month-by-month journal, I take you through the full year to give you a glimpse of What it’s Really Like.
October has come and gone like a whirlwind, bringing some of the loveliest afternoons, brilliant gold colors, and crashing waves. It also took with it the last of the leaves and warm days, and sent us into chilly November as it should. October is the last hurrah of the busy season on the North Shore. … Continue reading North Shore Life: What’s it Really Like? | October
Well, it's October, and you know what that means: yellow leaves, a chill in the air, and a growing buzz about NaNoWriMo. If that just looked like a goofy jumble of letters and not a word, allow me to explain. NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month, a yearly event where people from around the world … Continue reading Thinking of NaNoWriMo? The Truth About Writing a Novel in a Month
