From the category archives:

self-improvement

What Albert Einstein and the 14th Dalai Lama Have In Common

Two quotes. The first from Einstein, the second from the Dalai Lama. A human being is part of the whole called by us “universe,” a part limited in time and space. We experience ourselves, our thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest. A kind of optical delusion of consciousness. This delusion is a [...]

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Edward O. Wilson wrote. . .

It seems that whenever people are given a free choice, they move to open, tree-studded land on prominences overlooking water.

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Interview for Joseph Scapellato’s Senior Portfolio Class at Susquehanna

Joe Scapellato interviewed me for the class he’s teaching. He asked some very interesting questions pertinent to senior-year undergraduate English – Creative Writing majors. Here are the results of the interview: 1. Okay, let’s talk about your senior year of undergrad. Do you remember how you were feeling? Where did you think you were headed? [...]

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24-Hour Nonstop Writing – Rules and Regulations

Write nonstop for twenty-four hours? What will emerge? Prior to this endeavor, the longest duration of time for which I’ve sustained focus on a single composition has been around six hours, probably less, and that experience stands out as a transformational one. I am very eager to write for 24 solid hours. This Saturday, Dave [...]

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What is Environmental Breath and How Does It Help Creativity?

Click here for more information on Wellness and Writing Retreats in Italy Imagine that it is early morning in late summer and you are standing out on a beach watching the sunrise. The wind is calm and there is only the distant sound of slowly-crashing waves. Such a scene is archetypally serene and tranquil. What [...]

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Overcoming the Classroom

Most of us learned to write in a classroom. We sat and did our work, year after year, and gradually our writing improved. The rest of life is very different from a classroom, and despite our teachers’ best intentions, many of us picked up some bad writing habits along the way. These bad habits (like [...]

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What Sly Stone Can Get You To Learn About Writing – Part One

“It’s not the teaching, it’s the learning.” For those of us who have been students and those who have been teachers, each of us understands the limitations of academia and the benefits of actual experience. Likewise, anyone who has any experience with academia understands the benefits of a good teacher and how they can strategically [...]

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Why Experienced Writers Benefit From Tips and Prompts

The short answer: because it’s a dialogue with craft. Anytime you engage in dialogue with craft, you’re at least doing something. Activity always produces some sort of result, and activity coupled with an intention and some sensory acuity usually produces the desired result in time. So much of the challenge for many writers is often [...]

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