Skip Navigation

Top Menu

Home Archives About
 
 

Archives

Refine Archives

Date


Labels

Showing posts 1 to 10 labeled Pep Talks (10 total)

Screw the Gatekeepers (October 13, 2023)

At extremes, people obsessed with "being" something will skip over the part where they actually do things to prove themselves, and they instead spend their time convincing imaginary competitors that they're inferior. More »

The Pursuit of True Long-Term Happiness (July 22, 2023)

Over the past few months I've had some personal experiences that prompted me to face uncomfortable but important questions. Namely: "Is my current life the one I want to live?" And, "Who do I want to be? More »

How to Stay Sane in an Insane Industry (February 2, 2017)

How do we keep writing, keep hoping, keep sending those query letters to their doom, instead of burning our lucky writing pencils in abject despair? More »

Cutie Mark Mindset vs. Kung Fu Mindset (October 16, 2016)

A fixed mindset is the belief that people are good at certain things and bad at certain things, and that can't change. People with fixed mindsets believe everyone is born with certain "talents," and succeeding is a matter of "finding what you're good at." One might also call it the Cutie Mark Mindset. More »

Writing without Fear (July 10, 2016)

Two months into our new home in Central Oregon, Sweetie and I feel like we're finally settling down. We've arranged the furniture, made friends with the neighbors, and learned our way around the area. Last week I went shopping without looking up directions first, and I didn't get lost once! More »

The Fear of Breaking Things (September 21, 2015)

If you're afraid of breaking things, it's impossible to become a good programmer. The same can be said of writers. More »

How to Save Your Self-Esteem (October 14, 2014)

There seems to be a society-wide conspiracy to teach people that confidence is bad and low self-esteem is good. Look at the way we portray heroes and heroines in fiction. More »

Writing Superstitions (March 3, 2014)

Writing can be a very depressing business. You spend your evenings and weekends hunched over your keyboard, trying in vain to make a sucky novel slightly less sucky. You love writing, but you despise writing. You dread it. You feel guilty if you don't do it. You resent your day job because you can't do it more. You keep at it through years of rejections and one-star reviews, clinging to the tiniest hope that your work will one day pay off. More »

Things That Make Me Want to Write (February 10, 2014)

What is a girl with grand aspirations of mass market publication to do when cooped in for an unexpected five-day weekend? Write, of course! At least, that's what I'd like to say. But sometimes, even when you have all the free time in the world, you just can't get into the groove. More »

My Contrary Personality (May 6, 2012)

I wrote today. Shocking, right? I haven't written anything substantial in about a week. Not sure where my time went, but it certainly wasn't into making those progress bars go up. I think I spent it on limericks, putting together job applications, updating my resume and portfolio, and celebrating the end of the school semester with Sweetie by splurging $13. More »