7 reasons to walk away from a critique group

Here’s a good post with some interesting thoughts about critique groups – when are they a good match, and when has the time come to leave?

Scribbling In The Storage Room

In the last several months, three of my writing friends have dropped out of their critique circles. Each one of them felt sad about their decision, yet knew it was time to move on. Our conversations got me thinking about the inevitable changes that any writing life goes through.

I am a firm believer in the power of a good critique group. They can gently guide your work in the right direction. If a group is functioning well, it can get a writer through the hard, slow days in the middle of a project. A critique buddy can be the proverbial wind beneath your wings.

On the other hand, a dysfunctional group can cut you down at your knees and leave you bleeding by the side of the road. No one should be given the power to make a writer feel discouraged about their work. Writers are hard enough on…

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Writing Affirmations to Express Gratitude

Gratitude enhances our lives as we show appreciation for the many blessings – both large and small – that fill our lives. Our writing life also benefits when we express a grateful heart. Here are a few affirmations that show our gratitude for blessings in our writing.

• I am thankful for the writing opportunities I have.
• I appreciate the support and critiques from my circle of authors and friends.
• I am grateful for the passion and inspiration that fuels my writing.
• Thank you for the source of the stories that sprout and grow in my mind.
• Thank you for the knowledge I’ve learned.
• Thank you for the people that have crossed my path, bringing new sources of income my way, teaching me and expanding my world.
• I am grateful for the plethora of knowledge available to me – helping me grow as a writer.
• I express my gratitude for the many things that help me as a writer. The list is endless. I am thankful for the new sources of appreciation I see every day.

Wishing you a wonderful day, with productive writing and joy.

Empty Pill Bottles Desperately Needed (Take your meds & help others!)

Ok. This has nothing to do with writing. But it has a whole lot to do with zen and the act of kindnesses. I think this is a great idea. I’m going to do it and wanted to pass this information along.

Ginger Ail

Pill bottles: they are those translucent orange soldiers that pile up all around us… in our drawers, bags, cabinets… sometimes I wonder – if I had saved every empty pill bottle since I got sick, what would that look like?

One of the things I have always hated the most about being sick, is you often need more help than you can give.  That’s not always true, but there are definitely days or weeks like that for even the most functioning among us.  I see those specials on tv and think: I want to build a Habitat for Humanity house or dig wells in Africa (this might be a late night, insomnia induced thought but the general sentiment still stands).

Neither of those will be happening in my lifetime, but that’s okay.  There really are other things we can do, all of us, to help other people no matter how…

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