Questions come in all sizes. There’s the age-old: where did I put my keys? The hometown fav: are you really going to wear that? And the esoteric: who would I be if I could be anyone? I’ve been pondering questions and how, as a writer, I can use them to my advantage. Are questions good guideposts? I think about questions [...]
I am a writer who has earned her living writing and teaching storytelling for many many years, so you would think I would be a whiz at getting my work done. Work being, writing. Sigh. I so envy those creators who can sit at their desk, tune out the world, and produce amazing copy, stories, [...]
While you couldn’t say my father was on the quiet side, he wasn’t the type to make small talk about the weather. Instead, he spoke when he had something to say. Although, he did have a few “somethings” that he like to repeat, over and over through the years, his Dad Maxims: Measure twice, cut once. [...]
Earlier this month on a cold rainy Sunday, my husband and I were out “glamping.” Our RV is well-stocked with diversions to keep us occupied on just such a day. I read for awhile, took a short nap, then pulled out a bulging box of art supplies to try my hand at watercolor. I’ve become a [...]
As a small child, I didn’t get out much. I grew up on a farm several miles outside a small town, to parents who were 45 and 52—old enough to be grandparents. I did not go to preschool, and my parents’ friends didn’t have kids my age. My playmates were farm cats, and my social circle [...]
Playing Waiting Games I’ve been a little obsessed with the idea of waiting, the joys and pains of it. Expectation and anticipation are a form of waiting that offer an element of surprise, a hint of ooh, this is exciting. Other forms of waiting just suck. Waiting for events over which we have no control, like a [...]
Whenever I tell people what I do for a living—helping people bring storytelling and creativity into the workplace—I’m met with immediate interest. “Wow! Cool! That sounds like so much fun.” It is! And not just fun, but useful. The ability to craft and tell a good story is oh-so-valuable to any business. My livelihood depends on [...]
It started out as a joke, a silly way for us to blow off steam. We invented something out of sheer frustration.Ever since I started teaching creative writing, students have been asking me for the magical elixir: What is the formula for writing a story?I found this exasperating and annoying.After a deep breath to calm myself, [...]
How To Be Creative is a theme that surfaces again and again when I sit down to write. Not because people flock to me asking, “Oh Beth, you creative wizard, will you please publish your wisdom?!” Nope, that’s not the spark that lights my blog-posting flame. Most of the time, my creativity-focused posts begin from a [...]
When it comes to professional development, how long does a training have to be? The answer of course is, it depends. Imagine preparing to teach and standing in front of a roomful of quiet, nervous colleagues who don't know each other and aren't quite sure what to expect from this session. You didn't bring a deck [...]