Mindful Conversation. The Power of Still

Mindful Conversation. The Power of Still

The Power of Still So many conversations feel so rushed, comments crammed together like stuff piled into a closet. Rarely is there a moment's pause to take in - I mean really take it in, as in savor it - what anyone has said. The rule is "speak fast or forever hold...

A Deeply Satisfying Conversation

A Deeply Satisfying Conversation

A Dinner to remember I had the most delicious, three-hour dinner this week with my great friend, L.  The food was fine, but when I say "delicious," I'm thinking about the conversation. Afterwards, I went home, sank into my favorite chair, closed my eyes, replayed the...

The Conversation at the Capital

The Conversation at the Capital

The Senate Judiciary Committee This Week I had intended to listen for just a few minutes, but once I turned on the Senate  hearings, there was no turning it off. The testimony of Christine Blasey Ford and Brett Kavanaugh was riveting. Ugly. Passionate. Sincere....

Staying positive in hard times.

Staying positive in hard times.

photo credit: pixabay.com Just when I thought the news couldn't get any more absurd, it does; just when I thought the rhetoric designed to turn us all into cynics couldn't get louder, it does; just when I thought the lies, distortions and conspiracy theories had sunk...

The Art of Conversation

The Art of Conversation

  An Update. I've been thinking --beyond Mindful Writing-- about the larger world of "Mindful Communication." Prior to this blog entry, I've focused this blog on the magic and power of memoir. Writing my own memoir, as well as teaching and coaching others engaged...

Where to Start? The Power of Action.

Where to Start? The Power of Action.

How Do You Start a Memoir? A would-be memoirist contacted me the other day. "I've been writing now for several months," she said. "But I can't get it going. Where should I start?' "What have you tried?" I asked. "I've been reading books on memoir. I understand the...

Editing Your Memoir

Editing Your Memoir

There's a saying in the writing world, "writing is re-writing." But a lot of  writers, it seems, haven't heard about this part of the work, or expect to get by without. No writer sits down when the muse strikes, and cranks out pages of perfect prose. Between the...

Personal nonfiction. Dancing with Your Critics.

Personal nonfiction. Dancing with Your Critics.

Who has critics? We all have critics. In writing and in life. OK, some of us have more active critics than others. Inner critics and outer critics. The worst are those nasty voices inside our own minds that nip and nag. "That's no good. No one will ever read that. You...

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