Writing is different from wanting to write. Writing is sometimes figuring it out as you go. It took me awhile to accept this-- that I didn't necessarily have to, and actually couldn't, figure out everything perfectly in my head before committing it to the written word. That's not to say I think every thought needs to be published unedited. But there are probably a number of us who think a lot-- a LOT-- about our writing more than we allow ourselves the delicious freedom of ju

Like countless others, I love writing and struggle find time to do it. Last weekend, I had the unusual opportunity to hole up in a cafe on my own for awhile and write. Since it's near the end of NaNoWriMo, this was really useful. I'm facing the facts-- it's going to be very tough to catch up on my word count, but I'm going to try. Listening to Radiolab on the way to the cafe, I had to smile. When I tuned in, the program was investigating how children acquire language, and ask

The thing about these 30 day writing challenges is that it can be so emotionally draining to worry about the writing and to want to, to long to do the writing, that you have nothing left for the writing itself. That's been my deal every year the past few years, and, unsurprisingly, it hasn't been limited to writing challenges. Worrying about planning, worrying about parenting, worrying about working has been such an integral part of my daily life -- along with calming my worr

It's November, and that means my inbox has a backlog of emails preparing me for WRITING LIKE CRAZY. Apparently, November, that month of family holidays, inspires creativity. Or maybe it's that November, that month of family holidays, cried out for some outlet to save it from becoming known as the emotional pressure cooker month everyone (secretly?) dreaded. In any case, if writing is your emotional outlet and/or creative haven and/or intellectual pleasure, then you may find i

This isn't my first time at the National Novel Writing Month rodeo. I first signed up on the website four years ago. And I met up with my local group regularly three years ago and again am doing it again this year. I've never "won" (which is what NaNoWriMo calls it when you hit 50,000 words by November 30). But this year, I'm on track to make it! So what's different? - Most important for me: The physical difference. Feeling what it feels like to move my fingers on a keyboard

Though she was born at the end of October, our elder daughter decided to celebrate her birthday this year on November 1st. We spent the day at an amusement park with three of her friends. It was our first time there; we kept the paper map out and spent a lot of time walking back and forth along the same path, seeing new things as we went. November 1, in a way, turned out to be a great day to try something new to celebrate her new year. The start of this particular new month,