Spiritual teacher, Ram Dass used to say "We're all just walking each other home." This line seems appropriate for the writing life too. As fellow writers, we're walking each other toward trust in our own voices, toward the finish lines of first drafts, and toward the completion of publishable manuscripts. And we're walking each other through all the ups and downs that are part of those paths.

You know I’m stickler for structure.

Every story starts somewhere and ends somewhere else. It’s the nature of story to have a beginning and ending, with something in the middle. I consider this very basic story structure, and if you build on this humble foundation a story will come.

We’re familiar with the line “build it and they will come,” which is paraphrased from W.P. Kinsella’s book Shoeless Joe, and the movie inspired by it, Field of Dreams.

Every relationship benefits from a little bit of romance now and then. This includes your relationship with your writing. What is romance but a bit of innovative quality time and attention?

For some people romance might look like wining and dining, or bubble baths, or sunset strolls, but whatever the outer appearance, the core experience involves spending time with someone (or something) you love.

What would a date night with your writing look like?

A screenwriter friend once told me she always aims to write "90-mile-an-hour first drafts." I’ve learned to appreciate this approach, and I’ve been thinking about what prevents many writers from writing fast first drafts. 

Three things come to mind…