Jennifer Dukes Lee invites you to transform into a better writer through “beautifully ruthless self-discovery.” It starts in the pages of your journal. In a recent interview, she delves into the therapeutic benefits of daily gratitude journaling and its potential to rewire our brains. By writing down things we’re grateful for, our minds seek out the … [Read more...]
No time to write? Make solid progress in just 5 minutes
During the early years of parenthood, I wasted a lot of time feeling sorry for myself. Why can't I have my own dedicated writing space? Why can't I have blocks of uninterrupted time? The overwhelming demands of being a stay-at-home mom almost shut down my creativity. In time, thank heavens, I stopped griping and started looking for solutions. My idea? Instead of … [Read more...]
To Share or Not to Share: Which Personal Stories Should You Include in Your Writing?
Nearly everyone who writes personal stories in any form has agonized over how much to share. Will writing about an issue from childhood break Mom's heart? Should I change the name of a high school teacher? The next-door neighbor? The dog? The children? Are the hyacinths blooming by the mailbox worth mentioning? We write. We worry. Is this naval gazing or … [Read more...]
Embrace These 4 Key Roles for a Flourishing Writing Life
I was an English major with a creative writing emphasis. When I looked to my future, I saw myself writing. Over the years I managed to build a writing career, but as an English major, I wasn’t prepared for the business aspects of writing. Invoices, receipts, taxes? That was all foreign to me. Sharing my writing through speaking and social media? That’s not what I … [Read more...]
Write in the Middle of the Holidays
Most years, my husband has arranged for time off work during the holidays, taking PTO between Christmas and New Year's so he can coordinate with the kids' break from school. When the children were little, we avoided ambitious plans and stayed low key. We'd sleep in and play Christmas music, work on a big puzzle and watch movies. Throughout a day, … [Read more...]
Write in the Middle of Traveling
On a recent business trip, I packed my portable office—a pink backpack loaded with pens, paper, laptop (and power cord), and phone (and cord)—and sat in the black vinyl seats at the airport gate, waiting to catch my first flight. I arrived early enough to score a spot next to the plug and settled in to work on an upcoming assignment. My draft was in Evernote, so I … [Read more...]
#25: Stuck in the Middle
Show Notes Summary: Hundreds of thousands of writers are in the middle of National Novel Writing Month, or what is affectionately known as NaNoWriMo—where writers have signed up with the goal of completing a novel draft of 50,000 words. If you are among the participants—or if you decided to tackle a nonfiction project during the same month, tapping into the … [Read more...]
Write in the Middle of Chaos
A year ago, my dad woke up on a Saturday morning with a swollen forehead. "Just above the eye," he told me on the phone. He thought a bug bit him in the night and this was an allergic reaction. He lived alone. He had no technology to snap and send a photo to show me what it looked like. So that Saturday morning, my husband and I drove to Dad's house, … [Read more...]
Write in the Middle: Yes, You Can Maximize Distraction-Free Writing
Most of us write in the middle of life—even in the midst of parenting and motherhood—and find ways to get back on track after being thrown off by everyday distractions. But sometimes a deadline looms or a big project demands we make significant progress. In those scenarios, we need dedicated, distraction-free writing time and can't waste time … [Read more...]
Write in the Middle of Everyday Distractions: 7 Strategies for Getting Back on Track
As I type this, I can hear the video my daughter is watching on her phone (intense conversation between two characters, loud music, some shouting, a chase scene). The little dog is scratching at the back door to be let in. My phone is flashing a notification. Most of my writing time looks and sounds like this, because my desk is situated near the main living areas where … [Read more...]
Write in the Middle: How to Write in the Midst of Motherhood
The first in a series of articles on how we must write in the middle of life. Today, we focus on the challenges writer-moms face. I settled sideways in a black, plastic chair to sit across from a new client. Two decades ago, I was developing my freelance corporate writing career simultaneous to incubating my first baby. My client, a land developer, … [Read more...]
