“Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday.” ~Don Marquis (1878-1937), humorist, journalist & author We all procrastinate. Some of us are just better than others at putting things off until tomorrow, or the next day … or next month. The result? A pile of stuff waiting to be done — and it’s all got to be done …
In Others’ Words: Travel
“A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.” – Tim Cahill (1944-), travel writer I’m writing this post while I’m still in Colorado, but right now I’m in Texas! I’m near Houston, Texas, at a planning meeting for My Book Therapy, a wonderful writing community, and then I’ll be traveling to Dallas to attend the American Christian Fiction …
In Others’ Words: Silence
“Silence is one of the most effective forms of communication.” ~ Anonymous In Your Words: When did silence speak louder than words for you?
In Others’ Words: Ain’t That the Truth
“A writer is somebody for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people.” ~Thomas Mann (1875-1955), German novelist The more determined I was to achieve something concrete as a writer — publication — the harder it got to write. The bar was raised — by me and all the writers I learned from or who mentored me. …
In Others’ Words: Sense
“Common sense and a sense of humor are the same thing, moving at different speeds. A sense of humor is just common sense, dancing.” ~William James (1842-1910), American psychologist Whatever I lack in common sense, I like to think I make up in a sense of humor. And I completely embrace William Jame’s idea that my sense of humor …
In Others’ Words: Knowing
“I think knowing what you cannot do is more important than knowing what you can.” ~Lucille Ball (1911-1989), comedian When I was younger, I thought I had to do it all. I wasted a lot of time trying to be someone I wasn’t. Case in point: From my teens to twenties, I took three sewing classes before I realized …
In Others’ Words: Why
“Why do writers write? Because it isn’t there.” ~ Thomas Berger (1924-), American novelist One of my favorite things to do is connect with other writers. I’ll be doing just that in 11 days: traveling to Texas to meet up with other writers. Hundreds of ’em! First I’ll be in Houston with the My Book Therapy (MBT) staff, planning …
In Others’ Words: The Blues
“I merely took the energy it takes to pout and wrote some blues.” ~Duke Ellington (1899-1974), composer & big band leader Y’all know I love quotes. I especially love the quotes that set me back on my heels and make me go, “Huh.” That’s how I reacted to what Duke Ellington said — only I smiled when I said, …
In Others’ Words: Writing & Reading
“If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.” ~Stephen King (1947-), author I’m an author and, yes, I’ve heard the “To be a good writer you need to read” admonition so many times I’ve lost count. Of course, I’m lousy at math, so losing count isn’t that difficult …
In Others’ Words: Plans
“Plans are only good intentions unless they immediately degenerate into hard work.” ~Peter Drucker (1909-2005), writer I start Monday with lots of plans for the week. Some of them end up being nothing more than good intentions by the time Friday rolls around. And, yeah, that’s frustrating. Sometimes legitimate interruptions derail my plans. And sometimes I derail my plans. …