mindset | Story and Prose Edit

Apr 21, 20233 min read

On Jigsaw Puzzles and Perseverance in Writing

I have a close friend who hates jigsaw puzzles. She says she doesn’t have the patience for them, that it takes too long to hunt down one...

Mar 21, 20232 min read

The importance of play in creative writing

The other day, as I was working, I saw my puppy, Bruno—a derpy Aussiedoodle—playing with something. (Probably one of the billion...

Feb 23, 20234 min read

On pickleball and mastering a new skill (like writing fiction)

The first time I tried pickleball I felt like a prize fool. I was playing doubles with my husband and a girlfriend and her husband. Her...

Feb 17, 20233 min read

How to get rid of the writing blues

The question "What am I doing?" kept running in a loop in my mind. My mind was telling me all the stories: That I was spinning my wheels...

Feb 9, 20233 min read

A look at the writing life through the lens of romantic love

I fell in love with my husband when I was fifteen years old. We were high school freshmen, and I noticed this cute boy on the first day...

Feb 8, 20233 min read

What roller skating with little kids has in common with writing a novel

Over the long weekend last month, I had quite an interesting experience. My 3-year-old son was invited to a roller skating birthday party...

Feb 7, 20232 min read

How a novel about video games is changing how I write fiction

"Mindset" is a buzzy word these days, but I'm quickly learning it's well worth paying attention to, studying, and mastering as a writer....