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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 9/6/22 Blissom 9/6/22

Lessons from a Late Bloomer & Kate Bush Fan

“I always saw you as a late bloomer,” my mother told me when I was 20.

I don’t think she meant it as a compliment.

Maybe Patti Smith had to spend some time in the Piss Factory to tell her stories, but Kate Bush had other plans. And so did I.

Blissom 8/9/22 Blissom 8/9/22

A Return to Writing

When I made my last blog post This is the End in Dec of 2019, I had no idea how prophetic that title would be. In the last three years, I’ve had a battle with chronic illness due to mold exposure. I’ve had to homeschool my kiddo—a Montessori dropout— since COVID hit. And my family and I moved across the country.

Regular writing and editing were not options for me.

But times change. And if you’re a writer, you’ll find your way back to writing eventually.

Blissom 1/13/19 Blissom 1/13/19

Forget the Writing Prompts

Oh, writing prompts! Those forces of nature you find on the internet. Built to infuse you with the power to write the next bestseller, or at least give you a little inspiration.

Yeah, I hate those things.

Blissom 1/6/19 Blissom 1/6/19

How NOT to Start Writing in the New Year

There are so many newer, better, quicker approaches to start your writing process, especially in the new year. It makes you wonder how people like Shakespeare ever produced any content at all. Read these articles or don’t. None of it really matters. These suggestions may help you get more words on a page, but they won’t help you become a better storyteller.

Blissom 12/23/18 Blissom 12/23/18

Believe in Santa & Find Your Muse

I remember believing in him as a real man until I was about 9, then I continued believing in him as something ethereal. For me, he didn’t cease to exist, he just transformed into the spirit of the holidays. Getting too corny for you yet? I don’t care.