Mar 16
Writers’ lives are full of pressure. We set goals for ourselves and inch our way toward deadlines. We study our craft, attend conferences, pitch ideas to agents, and network with all sorts of people on social media. We constantly long to write but never have as much time as we would like. Raising the stakes …
Feb 18
January 2017 Starbucks Livonia, MI My fingertips touch the grande cup of coffee when I think to ask, “This isn’t yours, is it?” “Oh no,” the guy next to me says. “I watched her make mine because I got hazelnut in it. I’m trying something new.” I didn’t really think it was mine; I was …
Feb 16
The Caribbean Sea smashed onto shore with nearly the same intensity as a migraine I woke with. “Stay . . . Rest a little longer . . . Warmth and the sunshine are good for you.” The self-indulgent temptation to remain in Aruba sang to me like a siren and fought hard to keep me …
Jan 18
Starbucks Cherry Hill, NJ October 2002 I’m shaking from hitting the curb as I pulled in. I don’t see any damage, but I’m uncontrollably jittery. It’s a good thing I brought my journal tonight. My mocha Frappuccino will just add caffeine to my jitters, but the journal, well, that’s relaxing. I hope. It’s an older …
Jan 16
My husband asked what I was writing about this month. After I answered him, I could tell that he wasn’t impressed—probably not even slightly interested—with my subject. “Finding iPhones,” I said. He smirked, and I knew he was thinking: boring. So, I gently reminded him that “I’m a writer. If I do my job well, …