Journey: a noun and a verb. A process and an activity.
There are plenty of events in the world that cause heartfelt, even essential, sadnesses. Events of the cycle of life. Events of the world. We would not be fully human if we thought or acted as if these negative emotions were bad or inappropriate.
But the [...]
I’ve had more than one email that conveys to me the pain inherent in the writing life. And the question the emails ask is always the same: when should I quit?
If you’re a writer who’s faced self-doubt, failure, rejection, and despair you may know how difficult it becomes to maintain hope. Hope that someday someone [...]
I’m so excited to share an interview with author Jenny Meyerhoff about creating and maintaining resilience on the writer’s journey. If you struggle with holding on to your resilience, or simply need an occasional ‘lift’, notice how deliberate Jenny’s choices are about how she stays creative and productive. Note, as well, how important is her [...]
If you’re going through a difficult time with your writing or your life, you may find that positive emotions of joy, interest, and inspiration are available in the restorative experience of re-reading a favorite book.
The Irrepressible Writer is a hunter-gatherer. Because positive emotions come and go, and because they are “lighter” than negative emotions, I’m always searching.
A good writing conference is invaluable for positivity-creating experiences, and I had the good fortune to attend the magnificent Illinois-SCBWI Words In The Woods 2010 retreat/conference this past weekend.
You can read about [...]
For most of us, positivity does not come naturally, and even if it does, it takes hard work to hold on to it.
Why? Because for most of us, creating and maintaining positive thoughts and emotions requires thinking. And when our brains are cluttered with worries, self-doubt, internal and external expectations, and more, it’s hard to [...]
I’m not one to recommend or partake in food as a way to increase positive emotion, unless I happen to be hungry and the food is nourishing and delicious.
But yesterday a soft-serve ice cream cone brought me unexpected and to-be-savored moments during a difficult time. My husband, a chocolate milkshake lover, said he was heading [...]
As usual, Bob Herbert’s column in the Tuesday, June 1 New York Times is an expression of my thoughts and emotions. I find myself deeply distracted from my work by the state of the world.
And yet I will write today – enter revisions into my netbook (a recent purchase that caused an influx of positive [...]
I invite you to enjoy this wonderful, immensely instructive interview with children’s author Kathi Baron, whose first novel, SHATTERED (Westside Books, 2009) has the concept of resilience at its core.
In addition, though, Kathi’s responses to my questions are superb examples of the creative brain’s response to negative and positive thinking and emotion. You’ll see [...]
When I left my adopted hometown of New York City years ago, I flew back once a month for almost a year, weaning myself not only from friends, but from the city itself and the love-hate relationship I’d had with it for fourteen years.
In the years that passed, the mythic status of the city pulled [...]
