​A few weeks ago, I woke up to a triggering text message. Its content doesn’t matter. But my reaction was a doozy. As with many life lessons, the hard stuff often becomes most instructive—if we’re paying attention. 
 
After indulging my negative thinking, I dashed off a snide text response. Then I joined my husband in the sauna and spewed self-righteousness and judgment. I tried to get him to agree that the sender of the text message was wrong, and I was right. He didn’t bite. So, I got mad at him.

Here’s the last video of my three-part series, “Overcoming Writing Obstacles.” I hope you enjoy it!
 
Enrollment for my fall writing circles is now open! If we’ve spoken and you asked me to save you a seat, now’s the time to claim it. I have one opening each in the Monday and Wednesday circles and several in the Thursday circle. I expect these seats to sell out quickly—first-come, first-served. Enroll today!

For years I suffered under the weight of a story I created in my mind about not being a good enough writer. I took rejections personally. I felt like I was failing at work I deeply loved and felt compelled to do. 

If that wasn’t painful enough, I felt like I was a failure. But failure is not an identity. It’s a fact of life. We all fail. When babies learn how to walk, they stumble and fall. The same is true for us when learning any new skill. 

Two things writers need are patience and faith. Many writers underestimate how much they'll need of both. In my first vlog, I talk about writing as a personal transformation and growth tool and liken the creative process to excavating treasure. Enjoy, and please let me know if you have any questions or comments. I'd love to hear from you! New Write Where You Are Community Writing Circles begin September 26. Come excavate your treasure in a safe, intimate group of curious and devoted scribblers!

​​Ten years ago, one of my favorite yoga teachers told me it was time to “pop that turtle shell off your back.” She wanted me to straighten my hunched shoulders, unfurl my sunken chest, and open my heart.
 

A couple weeks ago, I had two 100-word stories accepted for publication within two hours of submitting! Record time. I was shocked. Keith T. Hoerner, the editor, said my work was “eloquent, daring, and splendid.” This was not the response I expected.

On Father’s Day, I returned home from Camp Scripps, which is Scripps College’s signature retreat created by and for alumnae. It’s a celebration of creativity and community. Our motto is “Everything Possible. Nothing Required.” I’ve been attending for the past twelve years. This year’s camp was our first in-person camp since 2019. I came home drunk with delight.

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​I recently took my first vacation since before the pandemic. When I pulled my luggage off the top shelf of my closet, it had cobwebs and a couple dead spiders! 

Last weekend I [wo]manned a booth with four other She Writes Press authors at the L.A. Times Festival of Books. Having been super COVID cautious over the past two years, I was apprehensive about the prospect of being among crowds, as well as occupying close quarters with four other people, some of whom had been out and about for weeks, maybe months. Still, I knew it was time to step outside my comfort zone. I figured I’d mask up, keep my distance from others as much as possible, and hope for the best. But when I arrived, no one was masked, and oddly, I didn’t feel the need to don one. It was as if I’d returned to the world, and everything was normal again. It felt amazing to connect with people in-person. Saturday morning, a woman sprayed saliva while speaking, and instead of worrying about catching COVID, I saw the humor in it: me with my health anxieties, uber COVID cautious for over two years, coming face-to-face with a sialoquent within my first hour out. It was comical to me; I laughed. But I digress.