It is hilarious to me when an aspiring writer sends me an email that starts with the word, “so,” as if we are in the middle of a conversation! On the one hand, it’s comical to believe that someone has been thinking of nothing other than whatever our last conversation entailed ever since we had it, but let’s face it: people have lives. They’ve had thousands, if not millions, of things occur to them in the interim, most probably.
Continue reading “Your Writer’s Voice — Opportunities Abound”
One of the pitfalls of the digital age is our oft-gratified thirst for instant results. I coach writers in various arenas, and over the past several years, I’ve noticed an increased sense that people believe they need to find out “the right answer” and hurry up and apply it, as if true and authentic writing is something for which we can look up instructions in WikiHow.
Tongva Park, located just across the street from the Santa Monica Pier, opened towards the end of 2013. The park itself has amazing energy, and it’s been a major source of inspiration for me since I’ve been in California.
I think I’m pretty normal in the fact that I don’t have a lot of time on my hands, and any possible moment away from an electronic device is a welcome break. Let’s all band together and make our time spent communicating quicker and more pleasant!
Continue reading “Reasons to Proofread Your Texts and Emails”
I fully admit to being a stationery junkie. From the time I learned to write, I loved having beautiful paper and sending letters to my cousins and pen pals. Back then, U.S. postage stamps cost 25 cents!
Here’s a piece of very short fiction I wrote. It’s me, reading it aloud. Continue reading “Motivational Speech”
When you think of the word genius, what comes to mind? A male scientist with wild hair in a laboratory? Especially as a woman, I like to have female sources of inspiration, and I realized that even in my own mind’s eye, the word “genius,” tends to conjure images of men doing science experiments…
Right now, I’m trying to start a twitter conversation with Ellen about selfies. Did you see her amazing group shot at the Oscars that had record-breaking retweets?
I discovered Zeena Shah’s work online, in her shop Heart Zeena, when I was looking for whimsical packing tape (oh, the delights and oddities of running a children’s photography business!), and quickly fell in love with her aesthetic. She designs and prints gorgeous, charming things like wrapping paper and throw pillows (“cushions,” as they say in the UK). After taking her printmaking workshop, I met up with Zeena for meringues in London, and she talked to me a little bit about how she launched her business.
On my way to the cafe in Santa Monica this morning, I passed a gorgeous mom photographing her well-dressed and equally gorgeous son with her iPhone. She had him standing in front of an alleyway, leaning on a pole — super cool. From the amount of direction she was giving him in comparison to how few photos she was snapping, I sensed he wasn’t cooperating.
