Want to make a change? Look in the mirror first. — Here’s a not-so-secret fact about me: sometimes, certain topics in my life have a theme song. I know, crazy, right? For example, when someone brings up the word happiness, I cannot help but hear Pharrell singing “Happy.” When I tell my students they need to put their characters under pressure…

How writing to change your own life has a ripple effect — This article is a long time coming. I’ve tried to write it a few times over the years but each time I tried, I failed to say what I really wanted to say about it all. But I’m in a different place now. I feel stronger, more resilient, and more…

And there’s nothing you can say to change my mind about it — I love reading articles about books and writing theory as much as I love writing them. On a normal day, I’m able to absorb what is being written about, take it in with curiosity, and then move on to whatever comes next. But once in a while, there’s an article…

Why words have the power to change the world — I’m going to continue my topic/theme of myths for another article because this one has been a long time coming. But it’s recently resurfaced as a much-needed article because of the resurgence of book banning. Before we get into the meat of the article though, I want to tell you…

Why you should resist these writing myths — Myths have been on my brain a lot lately. I don’t mean myths as in folklore, legends, fairytales — I mean the myths that become canon in our society or a particular industry. Myths that prevail, even when they’re outdated and damaging. These myths have become enough of a problem…

Why we need to craft a new narrative — I recently attended a social media intensive class. I loved it. I loved the person who hosted it (Amie McNee) and I thought how she approached the subject was brilliant. We’ll talk about Amie and her viewpoints later on in the piece. …

Because we do enough “shoulding” on ourselves already — Do you know what really pisses me off? People who perpetuate insidious, unhelpful, and damaging writing and creativity myths. These “myths” are not only untrue most of the time, but they’re also downright dangerous to a creative soul. If you’ve been reading my work for a while, you’ll know that…

Why you should be creatively rebellious in your life — I originally planned this article out to be exclusively about how rebellion in the face of our creative fears is important. But then the invasion into Ukraine happened. And I realized that the concept goes beyond writing. It speaks to the heart of the human condition. As many of you…

Let the cards guide your story The Attraction of the Cards Tarot and oracle cards are like magnets. They draw people in for so many varied reasons. But what drew me to the cards the deepest was that I could see all the potentials stories in them. …