On Reverse Culture Shock

This week’s travel essay is on what happens to you when you stop traveling. (All past travel essays here)

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Writers: On Your Health

I’m going to tell you a scary story…

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A History of Journaling

I think I want to start journaling again, but I’m struggling with how.

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On Choice

When I was in high school, I went through a new-age phase. I have no hard stats on this, but I think that may have happened to a good percentage of confused Catholic-raised adolescents in the ’90s who saw The Craft or walked past a Hot Topic and thought, “Hmmm. Maybe that’s who I am?”

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Silver Linings

I thought it was just the US that was getting scarier and scarier. Not so, apparently.

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Writers: On Your Day Job

Confession: when I first started writing *for real*, I honestly believed I only had a year or two of left of having to work a day job. “I’ll just stick it out until I finish this book,” I thought confidently. “I can deal with this until my glamorous writing career starts.”

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If You Cannot Be Unafraid

This week I learned: If you cannot be unafraid, be afraid and happy. Quote taken from this beautiful book. It’s so simple, and goes along with what I want for my life, which is to worry less, be in the moment more, and yet it’s something I’ve never seen articulated so well until now. I’m […]

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Why Do You Read and/or Write Fiction?

Sometimes I get asked why I primarily read and write fiction, as opposed to nonfiction.

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3 Ways to Outline Your Novel

Outlining. Do you need it?

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To the Salad Naysayers

Adding a little lifestyle content to my writing and wandering blog… Someone told me the other day that they “don’t like salads.” My response to that is: that’s because you’re doing it wrong. So, how to do it right? Start with an interesting green as a base (arugula, kale, swiss chard) and not one of […]

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