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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.
To Outline Or Not To Outline? Maybe That’s NOT the Question
You were forced to do it in high school or college. Maybe you even got a grade for it. Some authors swear by it. Others break out in hives when you mention the word.
The Outline.
Why does this little process provoke so much anxiety?
How to Be Bad: Find Your Inner Villain
Don’t underestimate the profound effect your inner badness can have on writing your memoir.
“Bad guys are dynamic characters with lots of human dimension. ”
Before we talk about how you can tap into your witchiness for personal writing, let’s dissect the role of the villain.
Economy of Words: How to Cut the Crap
I see it every week in some Facebook group.
A writer posts that they’ve reached a specific word count. YAY! Shoot the confetti cannon! You made it!
They are so excited for their accomplishment. And they continue to make announcements as their counts climb higher and higher.
“That rising word count is addictive. ”
Sorry to be a buzzkill, but when I see someone broadcasting their word count, I think, “great, now you’ll have even more words to edit out.”
The Selfish Art of Thank You Notes
Last year, we had a baby, I got hit with Hashimoto’s, and we rang in the New Year as newlyweds—our rollercoaster ride of domestic bliss. Think celebratory sparkles with lots of poop and other gross stuff. The presents and cards flooded in and many I responded to right away, but plenty got lost in the shuffle between new baby smell and the double visions of thyroiditis.