Ever wish there was a certain book about a certain subject? You may search and search and not find the exact thing you want, so think about writing that book yourself! Don’t faint. You can do it! Your local library has resources. Your community probably has writing groups you can join. Community colleges hold auditable classes. Friends may want to join you to write every week or two while you share an afternoon or evening as you talk, enjoy a cup of coffee with a sweet treat, and make plans. Need ways to start? Contact me at Paddy@PaddyEger.com and I’ll...
If the frenzy of holidays grabs you and shakes you hard, you can make your life easier by shopping at your local independent bookstore. For me stepping into the cozy shop, surrounded by books and friendly sales persons is a treat. The size or color or shape of books isn’t important. There is something for every interest. And, if you don’t see it, they will order it for you. Some bookshops even wrap your purchases for you! Simplify your shopping. Support a local bookstore. Enjoy the hours of free time you’ll create by this one-stop shopping amid an extravaganza of...
As a writer I fill my morning and early afternoons writing or editing or marketing. Once in a while I have the opportunity to slip away to a special retreat where I can write and think and leave the day-to-day cares, chores, and phone calls to people back home. Recently I traveled to the beautiful second home of a writing friend. She’d assembled a group of fellow writers and invited me to join them. I left my rain and blustery western Washington weather, I thought, for cooler temps and a few snow flurries. Turns out the around the retreat weather...
Feedback is a two-edged sword: we may hear compliments and/or we may hear criticism. Both are valuable. Sincere praise reassures us that we are on the right track. It sends us forward to brainstorm with new contacts and old. It means we’re contributing to their well-being and encourages us to keep on keeping on, to create new materials, to gather and share information. Then there is criticism. Even the word had a different timbre. Criticism often shakes us up. ‘What? You mean not everyone like what I said? or, “Some people didn’t gain anything from what I shared. Oh my!”...
I’ve just rearranged my shelves and it feels good to have some organization to my piles of books. (What I really need is more shelves!) In our living room I have one bookshelf for my favorite books and books by friends as well as an antique set of classics, my picture books that I read with third graders, and a few college texts that I couldn’t part with even after all these years. They share space with a dancer painting, my ballet trilogy and a couple of prized knickknacks. The rest of my books are housed on a large bookshelf...
Recent Comments