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“Il faut cultiver notre jardin,” —Voltaire

For those of us who don’t do fancy French, this means:

“We must cultivate our garden,” says Pangloss at the end of Voltaire’s Candide.

No sentiment could be truer for women who write. Stop focusing on the whole wide world. Instead, maintain a space that is your own and encourages the fruits of your labors to blossom.

But the process of growing our garden requires the right tools. Reading this blog and learning how to revise your own stories could help you cultivate your garden, obtain peace of mind, and establish your writing legacy. Happy reading and writing!

Looking for a specific writing topic? Search the entire blog below.

Blissom 3/14/23 Blissom 3/14/23

Don’t Be the Hero of Your Memoir

Isn’t everyone a hero these days?

Parents. People with chronic illnesses. Women. Most definitely women are all heroines, right?

Now before you jump down my throat for being sarcastic know that I’m all the above.

Yes, life’s been challenging for me, and nearly everyone I know since 2020, but don’t stick me with some hero label. Call me jaded, but I don’t think the title of hero needs to be given to everyone who excels at or overcomes something in life. That doesn’t mean we don’t need the uniqueness of our stories.

On the contrary, we need anti-hero stories now more than ever.

Blissom 12/19/19 Blissom 12/19/19

This is the End

Endings.

Ever struggle with those in your writing?

This isn’t my usual birth—death—rebirth-themed nugget of inspiration. Although that’s an important concept to consider anytime you’ve reached the culmination of something.

Today, I want to address the kinds of endings that must well—truly end.

Blissom 11/24/19 Blissom 11/24/19

Why So Serious? Using Humor in Your Memoir

Comic timing can be a tricky thing to find in your writing. Here’s how to make it work. From misconceptions about using humor in memoir writing to tips on how to use comedy in speaking presentations, you’ll get introductory techniques for how to use humor well.