Every night when I go to bed, I promise myself that tomorrow will be the day I show up to write at 9am. I think we all know how the next morning goes. Why else would I be making the same promise night after night since 2009? No matter how many times I promise myself…
Tag: writing
Writing and the Zen of Hitting: Getting Past Self-Doubt
“Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.” – Babe Ruth From age 11-14, I played summer softball. For four years, I consistently led my team in strikeouts and walks. Hits on the other hand? Not so much. Okay, I sucked. It wasn’t that I couldn’t hit the ball. I…
Behind the Scenes: The Picture that Started it All
I can’t remember if I shared these photographs with you or not. It was the summer of 1984. My friends and I had the day off from our summer jobs and, as drama majors and creative types are wont to do, decided to conduct photoshoot around our hometown. We pulled out some of our hippest…
Chill the F— Out
Two weeks into the new year, and already I’m falling behind. This blog was supposed to be up this morning. I’m going to take a deep breath, however and not stress out over one late blog post. After all, I’m pretty sure the ten people who read this blog won’t mind. More importantly, I’m going…
Barb’s Tips for Having Fun While Social Distancing
True confession: When the concept of social distancing first reared its head, I was happy. I have a book due at the end of the month, and I’m behind. Being forced to stay home for 14 days means I might actually make progress on this story. But for those of you who aren’t on deadline,…
Self Doubt
This morning, I was working at the café, when I picked up on the conversation taking place between two younger women a few away. Turns out they were aspiring writers. At first, I was excited, much like the way a bird watcher who spots a pileated woodpecker on her back deck. Fellow writers! In the…
Letting Go
The words hit me like a slap in the face. My son looked me square in the eye and said, “Please stop sending suggestions. We want to do this ourselves.” He was talking about his and his fiancee’s upcoming move to Vermont, and he was right. When Tattoo first announced he was moving, my husband and…
Ambition Isn’t Easy
When I was young, I wasn’t what you’d call particularly ambitious. I was raised by a very traditional family. If my mom wanted more than to be a good wife and mother, she didn’t say so out loud. She considered work outside the home as something a woman did to help make ends meet. As…
Barb’s Social Media Detox: 22 Days In
It’s been 22 days since I started my social media sabbatical. With only two exceptions (Tattoo’s engagement and Intrigue author Paula Grave’s death) I have not been on Facebook or Twitter. I’ll confess I did stay on Snapchat until January 4, but that was to follow my son and his fiancé’s vacation photos. I logged…
Barb Town
One upon a time there was a place called Barb Town. I created it in our spare bedroom around seven or eight years ago when I decided I needed a place to work, and it was a pretty awesome place. It had a desk, a lap top and a pretty brown chaise lounge that I…