A couple of weeks ago, I was depressed and underproductive for a few days. It was mainly due to the Arizona shootings, but also some personal stuff. I was a blue study. I've learned not to judge myself for being underproductive, and especially not to judge whatever feelings are causing ...

Tuesday, May 31 from 7 PM - 8:30PM , Buttonwood Books, Cohasset Buttonwood Books, Shaws Plaza Route 3A, Cohasset MA 02025, 781-383-2665 Cost: Free (come early for good seat) Writer’s block isn’t caused by laziness or lack of discipline, but disempowerment. Learn why at Hillary Rettig’s lively workshop, a condensation ...

To inspire you at the beginning of the New Year, I'm sharing (with permission) an email I recently got from someone who recently quit a job where she was being mistreated. Can't really add much to it - the joy just leaps off the page. If you are reading this ...

Today's topic, appropriately enough, is AMBIVALENCE. We tend to think of it as a small thing - "Should I have a donut or danish, I can't decide!!!" - but in the realm of life choices, it's huge. The cliche that you can't move in two directions at once is absolutely ...

The New York Magazine article about the James Frey atelier cum literary sweatshop has performed a valuable service by highlighting not just the desperation of MFA students to get profitably published, but the willingness of MFA programs to let their students be exploited. Frey apparently decided to bypass the whole ...

Yes, I know about the evils of profit, and I'm obviously not arguing that you elevate it over all ethical concerns. But if you wish to be in business – which I believe is a valid personal and activist strategy, as the world needs more green businesses – then you ...

NaNoWriMo participants aim to finish a 50,000 word novel in a single month – this month, in fact. The NaNoWriMo Website says NaNoWriMo is for, “everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved.” While radical attempts at self-improvement ...

A MacGuffin (sometimes McGuffin or maguffin) is: A plot element that catches the viewers' attention or drives the plot of a work of fiction". The defining aspect of a MacGuffin is that the major players in the story are (at least initially) willing to do and sacrifice almost anything to ...