This week I scheduled a September 12 read-around. It begins the 17th season of the Women’s Writing Circle. Over the years, we have welcomed dozens of new writers in the Circle, a sacred container where women find their voice through writing. One of the reasons I do this year after year, and now it seemsContinue reading “Take Risks in Writing: Embrace Creativity and Justice”
Tag Archives: fiction
Cherishing Moments with My Aging Lab
I just got back from taking Lily for her annual wellness exam. At 13 years and 2 months old, a lab is already quite old. I know that our time together is coming to a close. But not yet. She has a healthy heart and lungs, and except for honking heavy breathing when it’s hot—aContinue reading “Cherishing Moments with My Aging Lab”
The Beauty of Writing: From Chaos to Calm
There are times when it feels like nothing will ever shift, and then, in a heartbeat, everything changes. At daybreak, the sound of birds announcing a new day woke me as pale, washed sunlight slipped quietly through the bedroom curtains. Today, I am inspired to write. Immersed in The Ninth Hour, a novel by AliceContinue reading “The Beauty of Writing: From Chaos to Calm”
Gathering for the Timeless Story
We don’t live writing in our minds, but we welcome it as our gift to the community.
Using Writing as a Pathway to Healing
I have found, over the last 16 years of running our Women’s Writing Circle, that writing has helped countless women heal from traumatic events, including myself. As Virginia Woolf once said about writing painful experiences, “Nothing has really happened until it has been described.” And by recording the trauma, the writer transforms into a survivor. WhenContinue reading “Using Writing as a Pathway to Healing”
Writing ‘Moments of Love’
January, with its bone-chilling cold and pervasive sense of isolation, can often feel daunting. Yet, as we pour our hearts into the writing of those moments of love, we uncover warmth and companionship through the written word. The art of storytelling is truly the most profound gift we can share with one another, bridging the gaps created by distance and time.
The Pilgrimage of Writing Out West
I often wonder where I would have been in my life if it weren’t for writing. What I do know is that writing has been good for me. It’s a pilgrimage to a holy place of creativity, discovery, and learning.
A Novel About Obsession
A little part of me, too, hopes that the story—which is yet untitled—will be worth my reader’s time, perhaps as much as the stories of women in transition that I’ve written in the past.
The Magic of the Writing Practice
My manuscript has come back from my editor. We’ve talked on the phone about her comments and my vision for the book. An editor moves you toward a goal of incorporating new and better writing. Someone reads your work and offers objective criticism based, hopefully, on their own experience as a professional in the writingContinue reading “The Magic of the Writing Practice”
When a Writer Languishes
Lately, it seems I’ve been hearing from a lot of writers that they’re languishing—they don’t know what to write, let alone feel the energy to write. Everything from Covid, to health setbacks, to exhaustion with their day jobs, adds to the fatigue. In my case, it has to do with not a whole lot happening.Continue reading “When a Writer Languishes”
