photo of person holding cup

I Took a Break From Writing and I Didn’t Miss It

A Quick Update It’s been a hectic time in my life. As some of you know, I got offered a job in and out of Fiji.  In preparation for this job, I spent the last few months reminding myself how to fly an aeroplane. That included returning to Hong Kong for a simulator check to renew my license.  What was the result of all this hard work? Well, … Continue reading I Took a Break From Writing and I Didn’t Miss It

woman draw a light bulb in white board

Am I Copying? Getting Over Writing Defensiveness

The other day I was editing a post I’d written about the dichotomy between gratitude and greed when a similar post popped up from the delightful and lovely blogger, Julia Preston. It wasn’t exactly the same – she was talking about a similar tension between love and fear. But it was close enough that I felt my internal defensiveness spark off instantly. Something like a … Continue reading Am I Copying? Getting Over Writing Defensiveness

green leaves of a palm tree outside the window

Writing Windows and Mirrors

At a recent elementary school open house, my daughter’s third grade teacher said something profound. Well, she said a lot of wise things, because the knowledge of teachers is immense. But one particularly thing about writing and reading that caught my ear. Here it is – that she looks for books for these young readers to be either “windows” or “mirrors.” Windows are the books … Continue reading Writing Windows and Mirrors

unrecognizable person showing glowing sparkler against night sky

Do You Believe In Magic? Do You Write About It?

I had to have the conversation with my eight-year-old daughter the other day. You know the one I mean? About Santa? We were driving in the car and I broached the subject as “Do you want to talk about what your friend said the other day about Santa?” Two days before I’d overheard her friend tell her that Santa wasn’t real. Then the friend took … Continue reading Do You Believe In Magic? Do You Write About It?

grey concrete bridge on body of water under blue and white sky during daytime

Is Short Form Content What We Want?

The stats on my personal blog show that the most viewed posts are my weekly ones where I publish photos that I took during the week with a quote. The themes vary based on activities – vacation, the puppy, my kids, hiking but they generally are the fruits of enjoying life. These posts are short and sweet. But the stats also show that my longer … Continue reading Is Short Form Content What We Want?

Identity: What’s in a name?

Context The catalyst for this post was my most recent Introductions Over Coffee #10 post. There I discuss why new bloggers should use a name. That got me thinking about the nature of identity. In particular, why we feel its necessary for others to have names, why it might be difficult to pick a name and the likelihood of exclusion as a result. These are … Continue reading Identity: What’s in a name?

photo of assorted letter board quote hanged on wall

Your Favorite Writer Quotes

After posting My Favorite Writer Quotes last week, I loved the ones submitted in the comments so much that here’s a post of your favorite writer quotes. “People do not seem to realize that their opinion of the world is also a confession of their character.” – Ralph Waldo EmersonSubmitted by the insightful and delightful Vicki Atkinson of the Victoria Ponders blog “One thing that … Continue reading Your Favorite Writer Quotes

person sitting on wooden chair

My Favorite Writer Quotes

I think it’s safe to say that writing is the subject that I’ve studied longest. Sure, it started with just grasping the pencil with some dexterity and has developed through school essays, technical writing, and now to developing a personal angle with memoir writing, and blogging. But whatever the genre, it feels like an incredibly rich and vast subject of study. So here are five … Continue reading My Favorite Writer Quotes

beautiful casual cute day

The Inspiration to Write: A Short Vignette

I was sitting at my kitchen table working yesterday afternoon, trying to tie up the last few items before closing my laptop and going to get my kids when the doorbell rang. It was the <ding-dong><ding-dong><ding-dong> of repeated bell pushes used most frequently by the 7-years-old and under set. So I wasn’t surprised to find the 6-year-old twins from four doors down the street hanging … Continue reading The Inspiration to Write: A Short Vignette

people at theater

Do It Again: The Gift of Having to Repeat Ourselves

I was recently lucky enough to be able to talk about the magic of theater in a podcast conversation with writer, playwright, and Wise & Shine colleague, Jack Canfora. As we talked about the powerful feeling of a night in the theater when it all comes together and just works, he told me a story about Laurence Olivier and young Maggie Smith. After a night … Continue reading Do It Again: The Gift of Having to Repeat Ourselves

three persons sitting on the stairs talking with each other

Do You Like My Writing Or Are We Just Friends?

It’s funny the things that I read that stick with me. I’m thinking of a post about 15 years ago from a high school friend on Facebook that said something like, “I notice that there are some people whose only activity here is posting and they don’t spend any time liking or commenting on other people’s stuff.” My friend was a year older than me … Continue reading Do You Like My Writing Or Are We Just Friends?