You feel called to write that book, screenplay, Substack, etc. but somehow. . . It doesn’t have to be that way! Is this you? (For decades, it was me . . .) Write in 2025 is a year-long program to guide and support you as fulfill your mission as a writer. You will: Personalised 1-1 […]
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No time to write?
Time management wizard, Amanda Butland, teaches moms to live by their priorities. I interviewed Amanda Butland, founder of Momtasking Masters, last December, peak holiday crunch season. She calmly assured me that she had ample time to talk and a “flexible” schedule — This, while juggling a job, family, multiple businesses, a real estate portfolio and […]
AAG(ggghhhhh)!
Why Writers Need Audaciously Attainable Goals Writers dream big but how often do we set clear goals and plan for them? In early January, I put this question to participants gathered for my webinar on “Planning Your Writing Year.” Most replied that they operated on intuition, rather than a ten-point plan. Or any plan. There […]
Why Sign Up for a Writing Workshop . . . Especially if You’re Not a Writer?!
On September 18, I will offer a workshop on Can I Be a Writer Mother at the idyllic Starcroft Farm Cabin in Battle, East Sussex. No experience necessary — this one is for any mum, at any age and stage, who is ready to bring writing into her life this fall. Why sign up for […]
What Do Writing Coaches Do?
Fair question. On a good day, I reply: Pure magic. Of course, that isn’t exactly true. My students are the magicians. For my part, I serve as catalyst, cheerleader, and occasional way marker to help them lift off, accelerate and stay the course. Writers and writers-to-be find me when they are blocked, confused or discouraged […]
Sharing the Joy of the Animals
How a Picture Book Enriches the World of Fisherwood Farm This year, I was honoured to serve as Nicki Fisher’s writing coach (a.k.a. book midwife), on her first picture book, “Take a Look in the Nook”. What particularly struck me about the process was the impact that the book has had on her farm – […]
Smart Writers Use Dummies . . . And Other Lessons my Mentee Taught Me
You never really know something until you teach it to someone else. I always thought this adage meant that you prove your mastery by teaching. Now I know that you groove your mastery by teaching – learning in real time, as you go. I owe the discovery to Nicki Fisher, a local alpaca farmer with […]
Words at Play: Writing Poems for My Family
Poetry is contagious. I caught the bug from my children. When they were little, they inhabited a technicolour sonic-world of rhythm and rhyme. Verse was their native tongue. “Yummy, Scrummy, in my tummy!” my son exclaimed one day, before tucking into a plate of beans. The words buzzed around inside me, and a few hours […]
A journey to be savoured and shared: Illustrator, Judi Abbot talks about how to get more out of reading picture books with your kids
For artist, Judi Abbot, each book she illustrates is a journey, often lasting three months or longer. First, she reads the manuscript, “starts to understand the characters” and scavenges the text for clues about setting. “A reference to a scarf can suggest an entire world,” she notes. Then she experiments with exploratory sketches and researches […]
All the World’s a Page (The Power of the Notebook)
All things are created twice. First in the mind, and then physically, in the world. Stephen Covey, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People Before ideas make their way into the world, for many writers, there is a vital intermediate step: Creation by notebook. The Bible backs me up on this: “In the beginning was the word.” Words […]