My good friend John is an Olympic class skier. I am strictly a Bunny Sloper. I don’t mind going fast. I don’t mind wearing skis. I like being on mountains. I’m just not terribly good, and I’m okay with that. When we were in college, we took a weekend and headed to Georgia Bay in Canada….
I spend a healthy chunk of my time feeling like I’m a little hamster in a wheel. I’m running, running, running, but I’m getting nowhere. I step off, and it feels like I’m in the exact same place. Oh, the frustration of those moments. “Crap!” I cry out. “Nothing has changed. I’m no closer to…
A friend just asked how to use the time while walking a labyrinth. I walk every labyrinth I come across. I love them for their ancient wisdom and the answers and insights they help me find. First, I would say there are as many answers as there are people. For myself, I walk labyrinths to…
I’ve spent the day alternating between being okay and screaming. How do I find the words to express to all the families and friends of those who were slaughtered last night? How do I rise above when all around me others are suffering? How do I act? What can I do? I suppose I could…
Have you noticed how quickly people on the internet want to point out when you are wrong? I am amazed at some people’s need to point when you have made a mistake. If you use a word or phrase improperly, they are all over you like white on rice. And I’m not talking about the…
Anyone who has ever worked with me, in any teaching capacity, knows my first act when teaching is to get everyone to stop and breathe. Whether I am working with fourth graders or NASA scientists, I always say the following: “Before we start, I’m going to ask you all to stand on up …” and…
I’m reading Steven Pressfield’s excellent book, “The War of Art.” If you have any desire to pursue your art, run towards this book with open arms. So far, it’s amazing, validating, and oh so frustrating. Pressfield points out all the hidden places we run to keep ourselves from working on our art/craft. I’ve winced more…
Yesterday, I learned a lesson about the importance of working with the people who will best respond to your efforts. I have read a great deal about identifying your avatar and then producing and marketing to that avatar. The avatar can be defined as the ideal receiver of your product. It could be the ideal…
“Where do you get your ideas?” I heard this question asked at every author panel I attended this past Balticon. We all want to know the secret password to the wellspring, don’t we? Before I started writing fiction, I used to believe that I could never get original, smart, or exciting ideas about which to…
I’ve realized recently that everything I do involves storytelling. And I like it. I love spinning a tale and getting my audience excited to know what happens next. It is just as thrilling for me as it is for the sixth grader who can’t help but ask, “So, what happened next?” I try to do…