This is an age-old difference of opinion in the world of creative writing: To outline before writing or to just start writing and trust the process. Many people say it’s a waste of time to start writing without knowing where you’re going. These folks are Planners who make outlines and bullet point lists. They like to [...]
I’m not the type who mutters to herself. There is already so much conversation in my head that I have no need to actually verbalize any of it out loud. And yet, I do work out problems or challenges in my mind before I take action. Do you mutter? Are you one of those people who [...]
We once worked with a real estate agent who said to us, "buyers are liars." She explained that we’ll tell her we absolutely need to have a two-story front porch, a finished basement, and a separate laundry room in our next house when in fact, the home we’ll end up purchasing will have none of those [...]
“I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.” ― John Muir Who is feeling exhausted? A year ago, we were using every ounce of our creativity just to get groceries or figure out how to keep working. Now, fatigue is [...]
I’ve been thinking about questions, mostly about asking them. We were in Nashville two years ago for a long weekend and took Lyfts everywhere we needed to go. Every trip was $6.15, no matter how far we went. Sitting in the backseat I was relaxed and chatty, interested in what was attracting so many different people to [...]
The thrill of dumping 2020 and starting a new year has us looking for new ways to refresh. This means refilling our creativity buckets and using a sense of fun and play to get there. Story Mode programs are crazy fun because we believe that playing at work is one of the best ways to open [...]
Katie doesn’t know what to do with me. There are seven of us here today and as she rattles off assignments, I hear everyone’s name but my own. “Randy, you’ll be in the loading dock. Sue, you’ll be a shopper.” Everyone gets up to start work and then it’s just Katie and me. She’s looking a [...]
Raise your hand if you’ve been in therapy. Thank you, everyone. Put your hands down now. Like many of you, I am no stranger to psychotherapy and owe my life to some amazing therapists. However, their insistence on talking about emotions makes me crazy. I am much more the cerebral type and would prefer to talk [...]
It begins with love at first sight. Maybe the thought surprises you, waking up with you in the morning after a night of heavy dreaming. You date for a while and the words flow easily. You have finally found your story. But then little things begin to bother you. Your fingers move more hesitantly and eventually, [...]
You do not want to have me next to you in a yoga class. I’m terrible at it. No flexibility or grace. In fact, I don’t even like it all that much. Give me some dumbbells and the world floats away while I count reps and grunt. But even if I can’t do the poses correctly, [...]