I’m usually a grouch about V-Day because the commercialism gets on my nerves. But a kinder, gentler me found a free and lovely way to share a wonderful hug with myself, my significant other and my students. The “36 Questions” are the answer. They come out of a research study on intimacy. The study poses 36 questions designed for couples …
My favorite student texts from Spring 2015 semester
Relief, at last! The sweat of herding college students through Spring 2015 is over. We’ve made progress along the path to enlightenment. The final grades are in. Which means that as I enter my first free week of the summer, I am nostalgic about the most trying moments. To give you an idea of what my world has been like, …
Gotta make time for what you love
Thank goodness for therapy. In my latest weekly session, I got some insight on how to begin living with greater satisfaction. As you know, I’m trying to write at least 1,500 words every day during November. The goal is to have 50,000 words by the end of the month. It’s a challenge! I’ve already missed both the word count and …
Taking on NaNoWriMo
During November, I plan to write every day until I churn out 50,000 words. I will do it along with writers around the world who have set the same goal for themselves. The official name for this month-long creativity marathon is National Novel Writing Month. Better known as NaNoWriMo, it was founded in 1999 by some would-be novelists from the …
Rock your writing! 9 easy storytelling tips
Some people are born storytellers. The rest of us can learn how to do it. And the good news is, we really can improve! Tip #1: It’s all about the 5Ws. Stories need facts. The basic facts are the 5Ws: who, what, when, where, why. Usually, the 5Ws are joined by an H-factor: how. Every story has multiple Ws and …
How to write concise
Concise writing might not sound sexy but if you can do it, you are hot! The ability to express yourself clearly, simply and briefly is powerful. The trick is to let go of wordiness. Let’s start with a definition for “concise” from dictionary.com: “Expressing or covering much in a few words; brief in form but comprehensive in scope; succinct; terse.” …