Subscribe below to receive a new post via email every Thursday.
Guess what? I decided to try NaNoWriMo for the first time.
During NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month, participants aim to write 50,000 words of a novel during the month of November.
I've never written a novel before, but I'm now over 4,000 words into one. And I'm already questioning whether word count is actually a good metric for me to focus on.
Read MoreGrowing up, I was exposed to some very strong messaging for girls and women.
It showed up in books and magazines, TV and movie plots, and conversations with adults and peers.
The message was that you don't need a boyfriend (or husband) to be a complete person.
Since I hadn't been around during the days when marriage was a woman's top priority, I had no context for this message.
Read More“I can’t get anyone to buy from me!”
“Did you ask anyone to buy from you? Did you offer them something to buy?”
“…No.”
I might chuckle about people missing these basics, except I know I’ve missed them, too. For example, I would always fall behind on my bookkeeping—like doing an entire year’s worth two weeks before the tax deadline—and I wondered why. The reason was incredibly simple: I wasn’t making any room on my schedule to do this work.
Read MoreIt’s the moment of truth. We’ve clearly identified a problem, and it’s time to pivot to solutions.
“Now that you see this pattern, what will you do differently?”
“I guess I’ve just got to try harder to stay on top of my work,” she says.
It sounds right. It sounds virtuous. It sounds like a reasonable thing to say to get your teacher/boss/mom/coach off of your back. But of course, nothing really changes as a result of “trying harder.” If the way we’re doing it isn’t working, trying to do more of the same isn’t going to help.
Read MoreMany experienced piano students come to me struggling with a technical problem I like to call The Claw.
Instead of dropping the weight of their arm into the key with a light bounce, they press into the bottom of the key forcefully, with a tensed finger and wrist.
It’s supposed to be like tapping an iPad; instead, it’s like trying to open a pickle jar. The result is a brittle, labored sound.
Read More
