"Dreams can come true, but there is a secret.  They're realized through the magic of persistence, determination, commitment, passion, practice, focus and hard work. They happen a step at a time, manifested over years, not weeks." By Elbert Hubbard, American writer, publisher, artist and philosopher. On a fairly difficult hike yesterday, I was reminded of … Continue reading Small Steps on a Long Journey →

  "Engaging the imaginative eye is hard work, especially when we find ourselves trapped within one version of an event, one way of describing the world." From Word Painting, the Fine Art of Writing Descriptively by Rebecca McClanahan. As I work to improve my writing skills, I have taken to reading various books to hone my … Continue reading Learning to See Imaginatively →

"Ain't about how fast I get there, Ain't about what's waiting on the other side, it's the climb." lyrics from The Climb, by Miley Cyrus Following a dream or pursuing a passion is hard work and requires commitment. I am constantly reminding myself of this when I feel too tired or uninspired to work on … Continue reading Learning From Others →

During a hike with my husband yesterday I had an epiphany.  Not a huge, life-changing epiphany, but a small, heart-warming one that has helped me see my surroundings in a different light. I have been hiking for years and have always enjoyed breathing in the fresh air of the outdoors and admiring the world around … Continue reading Stop and really see your world →

"The beginning is always today." Mary Shelley, novelist I had every intention of keeping up with my writing while on my awesome vacation in Alaska.  I dutifully took my writing notebook and my trusty laptop.  After all, I had four hours at the Seattle airport (both ways) to let the creative juices flow. I was … Continue reading Re-Committing and Re-Charging →

"The path to our destination is not always a straight one. We go down the wrong road, we get lost, we turn back. Maybe it doesn't matter which road we embark on. Maybe what matters is that we embark." - Barbara Hall, Emmy nominated writer and producer Over the past few months I have been … Continue reading So Many Paths…Where to start? →

"The path from dreams to success does exist.  May you have the vision to find it, the courage to get on to it, and the perseverance to follow it."  by Kalpana Chawla, American Astronaut For the past two days I have immersed myself in learning about writing at the 2018 Northern Colorado Writers Conference. It … Continue reading It’s a climb…not a race →

    "It's good to do uncomfortable things. It's weight training for life." by Anne Lammot, from Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith. When I took my writing class through Writer's Digest, I thought that was going to be the hardest part of my journey to write my novel. Taking that first step and actually … Continue reading Asking for help is hard to do →

"We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us." By Edard Morgan Forster, English Novelist. Last year I finally told myself that I should either quit talking about writing a book or actually write one. I was beginning to annoy … Continue reading The First Step – Start Writing! →