I’ve been writing for fun, if not for profit, since I was five years old. That was the year I self-published a limited edition collection of poetry, giving copies to my grandparents and every other adult who was willing to read it. I still remember the scent of mimeograph ink. Similarly, I’ve been in love [...]
Tag: writing
Sunday Brunch: Mail Call
I have a confession to make: I’m in love with my mailman. Well, actually, that’s not quite true. I’m not in love with my mailman so much as with every mail carrier working a route, and all the people of the postal service that make mail -physical mail – a continued possibility. Or maybe it’s [...]
A Tarnished Southern Belle & Her Writer’s Soul by Debra Smouse
I’ve come to really understand that some pieces of you may never heal. It isn’t that you are flawed. What your soul is telling you is that you aren’t meant to forget every painful part of your past. Instead, you are learning to integrate who you were and where you’ve been with who you are now and where you are going.
Seeking Fellowship Instead of a “Connection” by Elizabeth Rago
I am a huge advocate of digging into the recesses of the heart and finding purpose and passion in life. However, lately I have been lacking the energy to “self-explore”. Sure, I love coming into the magical state of a new consciousness, but what if I took a little bit of that energy and explored [...]
Win A Copy of Home Front, New Novel by Best Selling Author Kristin Hannah
Last week, Kristin Hannah spoke with us about her new novel, Home Front, saying that it “touched her more deeply” than any other novel she’s written. Here’s Part Two of that interview, and an opportunity for you to win a copy of Home Front. Simply leave a comment on this post. A winner will be [...]
My 2012 Compass by Debra Smouse
I began replacing “resolutions” in 2007 with guiding words for focus. I chose three little words in 2007 and they changed my whole life. My world opened up. I transformed. Every year since that time, I have chosen one to three words to serve as my guiding principles for the year. My life continued to [...]
Creating Donovan’s Brain by Bev Hamel
I am always thankful when the day’s rush hours are over and although each day typically ends in frenzy the same as the day begins, the ending frenzy is more relaxed and fun. Sometimes we all make dinner then homework, baths, hugs, giggles, and a monster mom story, which usually turns into bedlam when girls, [...]
the Healing of a Writer’s Soul by Debra Smouse
I’ve never been much of diary writer. Until I was mid-way through high school, I would stop and start diaries and journals without consistency. Then in my junior year of high school, I had a teacher who insisted upon a daily writing practice. She would occasionally do a journal check that consisted of reading random [...]
An American Portrait: Chief John Grass by Bev Hamel
It is January and I am taking a break from my MFA residency at Goddard College in Vermont. I just finished trekking through snow into the town of Plainfield to visit my favorite haunt – an obscure little bookstore that bursts with endless shelves of books no longer in print. The proprietor recognizes me as [...]
Cover Girl Marsha Mason (Part II) with Melissa A. Bartell
In part one of our interview with Marsha Mason, we talked about the play Impressionism, which closed May 10th, and about her career in general. In part two, we shift offstage, and discuss herb farming and race car driving. (Paul Newman made her do it.) In addition to acting, you have also directed. What’s your [...]
Mark Twain & Me by Melissa A. Bartell
Mark Twain has often been credited with saying that the coldest winter he ever saw, was summer in San Francisco. In fact, while the sentiment is valid, there is no proof he ever said such a thing. Not about San Francisco, anyway. He did say almost exactly that about Paris. Nevertheless, Twain echoes in my [...]
Goodreads
Fighting social website burnout, it took me awhile to get past Myspace, Facebook and LinkedIn, but I finally signed up for Goodreads — and I’m loving it! Not only can you select books that you like to read, rank, and review them, but you can put your own writing on the website. Come visit me [...]
Just like that!
Approximately nine years ago, I joined an online diary community to find support to quit smoking. This search led me to a wider diary community which afforded me the opportunity to meet Melissa Bartell (albeit virtually). After years of patient prodding, she nudged me to All Things Girl, where I’ve been encouraged to write and [...]
If you had to choose
Sacrifice. The word is laden with inntonations of things taken to an extreme measure. Yes, it’s about giving up something for something else, but it’s more than that, isn’t it? At a retreat a few years back I participated in a values setting exercise where we were asked to parcel a list of 50 values [...]
Sacrificial? by Melissa A. Bartell
I’m the last person on earth who should be writing about sacrifice, because the truth is, I’ve always been the recipient of other people’s choices, not the person choosing to give something up. Oh, I gave up a stable income and a regular paycheck to write full time, yes, but that wasn’t so much sacrifice [...]
Call for Submissions:Women’s Stories Needed for Book Compilation
Do you have a terrific story to share about a “first” experience that happened to you during puberty? Perhaps you have an embarrassing memory about your first period, or a wonderful story about your first kiss. I’m collecting stories of first periods, kisses, school dances, buying bras, and any other firsts that occur between the [...]
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Cover Girl Stephenie Meyer: An Interview (Part One) with Deb Smouse
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Live Alone and Like It The Classic Guide for the Single Woman
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My Plan to Thrive while I Deal with Grief this Holiday Season
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Life, Love and Lesson Plans by Wynn Godbold
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Under the Bed by Jody Keisner
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