What is the soundtrack of your life? For me, music is an indispensable and incomparable source of inspiration — my never failing muse. Unlike anything else, music taps into my psyche and gives voice to my inner feelings — even the ones I’d rather keep hidden. “Music is storming, driving, relentless, devotional, slinky, subtle, heartbreakingly-beautiful…
How to reward yourself for a job well done “The moral I draw is that the writer should seek his reward in the pleasure of his work and in release from the burden of thought; and, indifferent to aught else, care nothing for praise or censure, failure or success.” ― W. Somerset Maugham As a…
As aspiring writers, we are told to develop thick skins to handle criticism that is sure to come our way. For some, compliments are equally hard to accept. Here’s how to deal with that. “Quotation is the highest compliment you can pay an author.” ― Samuel Johnson If you are, like me, insecure about the…
How to find a rhythm when you’re both working from home It’s a sunny November Sunday. Our little family of three is in the garden, enjoying the sun. That is, two of us are enjoying the sun. Our Amstaff is hard at work, trying to catch whatever is buzzing around us — a solitary bee,…
…and how you deal with that It happens to me all the time: I have an idea, usually in the shower or doing something else that prevents me from noting down that idea immediately. I will have to remember it until I can reach my phone (with dry hands) or one of my notebooks scattered…
The decisions I made this NaNoWriMo It is November and National Novel Writing Month is upon us again. With everything going on in my life at the moment, it sneaked up on me yet again, imposing questions on me: should I even participate this year? should I (finally) finish one of the books I started…