Hello there, writers!
Today we are going to be jumping into a topic that is, literally, close to the heart — vulnerability in writing. It is that leap into authenticity that not everyone is brave enough to take. It is the willingness to lay it all out on the paper before you, essentially saying, “This is me.” It is using yourself as your muse and writing about your own experiences, emotions, and deeply earned scars. Lacking the manipulation of so many other forms of writing, pieces laced with this trait pull the reader into your world, giving them a chance to see you without armor, so that they may find themselves in the spaces between your words.

Are you longing to be the next literary phenomenon? Do you dream of following in the footsteps of great authors like Margaret Atwood, John Grisham, or Alice Walker? Do you hope to be in a bookstore one day and see a shelf dedicated to your latest novel? Well, hold tight, because I’m about to let you in on the secret behind great writing: being a voracious reader!

Hey there, fellow word-wranglers! It’s time to talk about that annoying little creature that all of us face at one point or another — writer’s block. It’s that moment when your brain feels like it has gone on strike, and you find yourself stuck. Your word count remains unchanged, and all creativity has sauntered right out your front door with no note about when it plans to be back. But do not throw in the towel just yet. I have just what you need to overcome this foe and get your juices flowing again!

We’ve all been there.
We decide that we are going to set a daily habit to write. We get a new journal to use and find a little bit of our day to squeeze it into. We do great the first day or two, maybe even the first week. But then, we miss one evening because we have that eye appointment after work and end up eating dinner later. Then we skip a few more because the yard really needs weeding. And then, we just start to forget. Without even noticing, we ease back into spending our evenings the way we used to, with the humdrum of dishes and dog walks and laying on the couch to watch old episodes of Parks and Recreation — our commitment to writing ending up in the same heap as our New Years Resolution to lose weight.