Tag Archive for 'Author Blog'

Page 2 of 3

Writing For Happiness

Published on June 14, 2010 in 1960s, Author Blog, Baby Boomers, General Information, Health, Health and Wellness, Journaling, Journals and Memoir. Tags: , , , , , .

5 Comments

The headline of an article in yesterday’s New York Times was entitled, “In Midlife, Boomers are Happy—And Suicidal.” (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/13/weekinreview/13cohen.html?emc=eta1).

This was certainly catchy enough to make me stop and read what the article had to say, particularly because of some recent turning points in my life, such as I recently celebrated my 56th birthday, my sister-in-law, Serena celebrated her 50th and my middle daughter, Regine, is getting married in less than three weeks.

The article began like this, “If you are suddenly feeling confused about whether to greet middle age with open arms or dread, it is understandable. In recent weeks, researchers reported that Americans in midlife are a remarkably contented lot, and that they also have the highest rate of suicide.” Surely Charles Dickens was correct when he said, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Tale_of_Two_Cities)

At first, I was confused by the article’s opening paragraph, but while glancing over some recent pages of my journal depicting my own life, I completely understand the author, Patricia Cohen’s sentiments.

My husband and I have raised three wonderful kids who are now living on their own. We are lucky to have made an independent life for ourselves and are able to carve out enough time to follow some buried passions. Being in our 50s is also a time when we catch a glimpse of ailing health, whether it be from an elevated blood cholesterol or menopausal hot flashes. Coupled with this, many of us are finding that the time we had spent raising our kids are now devoted to taking care of our elderly parents. (I am thankful for each day that my mother remains independent at the age of 80).

It has been said that our generation of baby boomers is also called, “the sandwich generation.” Most of us have replaced the once urgent pressures of raising kids with more long-term and philosophical pressures like what we want to do with the rest of our lives. In a sense, many of us have re-entered the turmoil and confusion of adolescence.

In the journaling workshops I teach, I see many of my adult students at this juncture in their lives. The journaling process helps them understand not only how they are feeling, but helps them identify the right path for them.

By now, most of my readers understand that my solution to most of life’s dilemmas and questions lies in our freedom to pull out our notebooks and write down our emotional truth.

Here are some prompts to help you rekindle the joy in your life:

  • Describe how you are feeling right now
  • If you could be doing one thing to make you happy, what would it be?
  • Write a page describing your ideal life.
  • Write a love letter to yourself to read whenever you need to be nurtured and reminded of your hopes and dreams.

Remember that you are the star of your life story. You are responsible for the choices you have made in your life. If you are not happy, choose to be happy and make a change. You CAN do it. That’s the power of positive thinking and journaling can help you reach this goal!

New Book Release: Healing With Words

Published on June 7, 2010 in breast cancer, Healing With Words, Journaling, Memoir, New Book Release, Notebooks, Writing for healing and Writing, journaling. Tags: , , , , , , , , .

2 Comments


Released June 1st, Loving Healing Press.
Available @ 1-888-761-6268
or from Amazon.com/BN.com or from Distributors (Ingram, New Leaf)

Diana Raab will be reading from
Healing With Words:

Skirball Center
June 9th, 7pm
UCLA Extension Writers’ Publication Party

About the Book:

This  is a memoir and self-help book written by a nurse, author, and mother of three, who at the age of forty-seven found her life shattered by a diagnosis with DCIS with invasion. Five years later she was diagnosed once again to yet another, seemingly unrelated and incurable blood cancer‹multiple myeloma. The book includes the author’s experiences, reflections, poetry,  journal entries, in addition to writing prompts for readers to express their own personal story. Since early childhood, Raab has drawn strength from the practice of journaling.

From the Foreword:

“I applaud the author for having the courage to share her very personal story in the form of narrative, journal entries and poems”~ Melvin Silverstein, Director of Breast Program, Hoag Memorial Hospital

EARLY REVIEW

“Diana is a woman who knows what it is to live fully in the face of mortality.  She will add value to the life of every person who reads this book.” – Sena Jeter Naslund, Author of AHAB’S WIFE and ABUNDANCE: A NOVEL OF MARIE ANTOINETTE

FOR REVIEWERS: Email publicity@dianaraab.com for review copies

Healing With Words

Published on May 31, 2010 in Author Blog, cathartic writing, Creativity, Health and Wellness, Journals, Memoir, Writing for healing and Writing, journaling. Tags: , , , , , , , .

3 Comments

For most people Memorial Day signifies the beginning of summer, barbeques and the gathering of friends and family. For those who have lost loved ones in the military service, this is a day of remembrance. I don’t personally know anyone who lost their life in the military, but I do know many who have served. This morning, I did take a few moments of silence to honor those who have defended our freedoms.

For me, Memorial Day is also a time to remember all those loved ones who have passed away, whether as a result of war, accident, old age or illness. Since my latest book, HEALING WITH WORDS: A WRITER’S CANCER JOURNEY (http://lovinghealing.com/) just released, I would like to honor those who have lost their lives due to cancer. Thankfully both my cancers were diagnosed early, and I am alive to tell my story. The impetus for writing this book is having been diagnosed with two cancers in five years. One of my cancers is cured, but the second one I must live with for the rest of my life because to date, there is no cure. I have decided not to let my life revolve around the cancer, but to take one day at a time and enjoy my life.

My journey has riveted me and made me not only appreciate the good times, but has also continually reminded me how essential it is to focus  on the positive. In my book I stress the importance of using writing to heal because it has saved me on many occasions.  My hope is that others will learn from my example and acknowledge the importance of self- expression.

While crafting this book, I vowed to make this a different type of memoir in that it is also a self-help book. In addition to including journaling pages and prompts at the end of each chapter, I have included extensive appendices offering names of support organizations and writing tips. Unlike many cancer memoirs, mine is written with a wry and inspirational tone, offering hope for those also afflicted with the demon.

Sena Jeter Naslund, a New York Times bestselling novelist and author of AHAB’S WIFE and ABUNDANCE; A NOVEL OF MARIE ANTOINETTE says: “Though I am a professional writer, it’s hard to find words for the admiration I feel for Diana Raab and her inspiring true story: Healing With Words. Time after time, Diana articulates incisively the thoughts and feelings that convey hoped-for meaning and encouragement. She is a woman who knows what it is to live fully in the face of mortality. She will add value to the life of every person who reads this book.  That she includes the creative impulse to write and the solace offered by contemplating the beautiful as a vital part of human existence resonates at a spiritual level for me.”

The creative impulse is what keeps me going. I’m interested in hearing from you; please share how writing has helped you heal during difficult times.

Audio Books: A New Horizon

Published on May 24, 2010 in Creative Nonfiction, Creativity, General Information, Memoir, Musings, Publishers, Reading, writer blog and Writers and Their Notebooks. Tags: , , , , , .

0 Comments

The first book on tape I ever listened to was of Frank McCourt reading his memoir, Angela’s Ashes. I had a two-hour drive to Los Angeles and no doubt, my destination came too quickly. In addition to hearing his amazing story, Frank had a distinctive and compelling reading voice which simply made you want to listen to the entire book at once, but in reality that was not possible.

A few weeks ago, I was invited by a colleague to read my latest book, Writers and Their Notebooks for a reading marathon at The Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic in Santa Barbara. The small and efficient office was set up with a few recording booths and after signing in I was asked what I wanted to read. T.C. Boyle had just read there the day before and obviously the person checking me in did not know I was also an author. My friend stepped in (thankfully) and said, “She’s going to read her own work, of course.”

It was one of those honored moments when I felt proud to be a published author. I was equally honored to learn that soon my book would be made available to blind and learning disabled persons across the country. I had read sections of my book at book signings, but never entire chapters at a time.

I was handed a copy of my book which had been marked up with instructions on to how to read it out loud. My glass-enclosed booth faced another glass-enclosed cubicle occupied by a woman who would spot me and give hand signals telling me when to start and finish.

At the start of each page I was to announce ‘new page.’ When I forgot, she stopped the tape and rewound it for me to start over. After a few pages I got into the rhythm and, as difficult as it was, I had to resist the temptation to change or edit the words.

After reading for a while, I came to the beginning of a new page, looked up, but did not see the woman make any motions. I coughed to get her attention while watching her eyes following the lines on her copy of  my book. She stopped the recording and said, “Oh my gosh, I’m sorry, your voice was so hypnotic.”

There are not many times in a writer’s life when one gets that mushy feeling in the heart and I can safely say this was one of those times. I was delighted that my reading was seemingly as effective on this woman as Frank McCourt’s was on me. It made me want to donate more of my time to the worthy cause.

That night I came home to find a recent issue of Publisher’s Weekly which was highlighting, “Everything Audio.” One article of great interest to me was called, “Storytelling: Authors Reading Their Own Work,” by Adam Boretz. He made a few comments which really resonated with me. “The greatest challenge,” [of recording an audio book] said novelist Sam Lipsyte, “was being shut up in a booth with no sense of how things are really going. With an audience, you can tell if you are losing them, if they are falling asleep, laughing in the wrong places. But this was more of a floating-in-space deal.”

One author compared audio books to the southern tradition of oral storytelling. Other authors feel that reading their book out loud changes there perception of it and offers them new insights. Deepak Chopra who has  done many audio books says that reading his books out loud sometimes leads to new insights and ideas. It can also give the author ideas about where to edit in the book’s next revision.

Some writers claimed that it was important to get a good night’s sleep before the reading and make sure to also drink enough fluids. The funniest statement about doing audio recordings, however, was made by novelist Joshua Ferris who said, “I think the biggest lesson I learned is don’t drink sparkling water because it makes your stomach gurgle.” Now that’s something to remember!

Writing About Family

Published on May 17, 2010 in Author Blog, Creative Nonfiction, General Information, inspiration, Memoir, Musings, writer blog and writing. Tags: , , , , .

7 Comments

As it turns out, May 16th is National Biographer’s Day and May 18th is National Relatives Day. I thought combining these two holidays would make a good subject for today’s blog.Ironically, tomorrow I will be visiting my family in New York to celebrate my son’s 21st birthday – so I’m doing exactly what Wikipedia says I should do—visiting relatives!

As a memoirist, the challenges of writing about family are constantly present. Many of my students who write memoir often express their fear of being sued. According to Judith Barrington in her book, Writing the Memoir, the chances of being sued are extremely low. For the most part, suing someone is extremely expensive.  Plus most people w considering the process might not want to bring any further attention to a potentially-embarrassing situation.

The dilemma for the writer is having the desire to do justice to their families, but also wanting to write a compelling story. The fact is, drama sells. A humor columnist friend of mine who frequently writes anecdotes about his wife or married life, clears his short pieces with her first. He is both wise and sensible to do this. It’s good to allow family members to review your writing prior to publication. Not only does it allow you to face your family with peace of mind, but it can also solicit an additional perspective which might also even strengthen your story.

No doubt, the most interesting characters are those who are spirited and who are willing and able to create conflict, the essential element that keeps a story compelling.  There are three types of conflict—conflict within the individual, conflict between individuals and conflict between an individual and society. The odds are that if your story doesn’t contain some type of conflict, either you don’t yet have a story or it will be a boring one.

If you are driven to write about family and fiction is not an option for you, then you must know your limits and boundaries within the world of nonfiction. There are three important things to remember: be as honest as you can, fact check, and preserve other people’s privacy. In any event, here are some terms you should be familiar with:

Defamation: This is damage to someone’s reputation, which includes damaging statements that are either slander (spoken) or libel (written).

Libel: This is being accused that a published statement is untrue. This can only be done by a living person. One way to avoid this charge is to alter character name, especially if you are saying something which can embarrass or invade a person’s sense of privacy.

Invasion of privacy: This is writing something about someone which they don’t want published and then sharing it publicly. This can include embarrassing, personal or misleading facts about a person which you might be obtained from a third party.

Copyright: Most writers are familiar with this infringement, but one thing I recently learned was that letters are copyrighted the second they are written, and that you cannot publish a letter without their permission.

Indeed, there are rewards when writing about family. You might have access to fascinating stories and details which could really sell and might not otherwise make their way out into the world. But, it’s important to be cautious and keep the following in mind:

Set boundaries for yourself; allow anyone mentioned in your writing to review the material and honor the fact that people are entitled to their privacy.

Boosting Your Creativity

Published on May 10, 2010 in Author Blog, cathartic writing, Creativity, General Information, inspiration, Journaling, Journals, Musings, Notebooks, Passions, writer blog, writing and Writing, journaling. Tags: , , , .

0 Comments

Whether you’re  a writer, artist or businessperson, chances are creativity is vital to some part of your profession. Some of you may already have tricks on how to tap into your creativity, but what I suggest is to start with keeping a notebook or journal or daybook, whatever you choose to call it. These days many people, especially those in my son’s Generation X, take notes on a computer or iPhone—but what I’m suggesting is to use the old-fashioned method of a notebook.

There are many books with directive learning modalities and tools to hold your hand through the process, such as Julia Cameron’s, The Artist’s Way and Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones, which provide a more in depth immersion into the process—both excellent resources.

However, here’s,  a free crash-course:

Buy a notebook or journal from a book store, pharmacy or grocery store. Choose your favorite pen. Put the date on top of the page. Do some longhand writing. Do some doodling or drawing. Whatever tickles your fancy. Stay in the moment. Write what is on your mind. You can start by writing, “Right now I am thinking about …” Let your words flow and if one thought leads to another or takes you in another direction, that’s fine too. There are no rules and spelling and grammar don’t matter.

It’s a good idea to make this a daily practice. You will see that your ritual will tap into your creativity. Writing is a great way to cultivate a constant flow of ideas. Feel free to include other people’s ideas in your writing. What you are doing is brainstorming on the page instead of in a conference room or sitting area.

Sometimes I journal in this way before beginning a new project thinking it might result in a new opening—but it often becomes what I call my ‘throat-clearing’ section which is typically discarded. It’s akin to piano scales, stretching before exercising or dashes before sports.

This free-writing gets rid of all the junk in your head—the neurosis, the deflating comments, the negativity. It’s difficult to be creative if this junk is kicking around your head creating all this unwanted noise. How can you create with noise, anyway?

Another bonus to writing is that it gives you some down time and quiets your mind—it can be meditative.

The page can also help you try out new ideas. It’s a place to write down the pros and cons. You can write, “What if …” to describe the various possible scenarios.  If you are not happy, write about what would bring a smile to your face and see if you can make that happen.

Most successful writers have ritual/s before they start their creative work, whether it’s getting rid of all the junk, getting a cup of coffee or answering emails. It’s your prep time. It’s a time for your muse to be invited into the wide open green pasture which has been cleared of its weeds.

The other great thing about having a notebook is convenience. How many times have you had ideas at the most unexpected times—walking the dog, working out, driving or at a dinner party. That’s the muse visiting you and even if you think you will remember the message, chances are you won’t. If you don’t have a notebook available, that thought will be a fleeting one.

Some other creative exercises:

1) Write about your most creative challenge. 2) Write about where you want to be in five years.

3) If you could be doing one thing now, what would it be? 4) Write a letter to someone who passed away.

The most important tip is to do is to write for at least 20 minutes. After you invite this routine into your life, you will see that it becomes sort of like an addiction – a healthy one. Imagine that!

The New Journal – Author Blogging

Published on April 26, 2010 in Author Blog, inspiration, Journaling, Journals, Musings, Passions, writer blog, Writers and Their Notebooks, writing and Writing, journaling. Tags: , , , .

2 Comments

Dear Reader ~

The art of being an author means that it is no longer enough to craft a compelling manuscript and submit to an agent or publisher. We are now told that no matter what the size of our publishing house we need to do our fair share of marketing.  We must now be excellent promoters of their work and with this revolution comes the relatively new interface of the author blog.

Over the years, my journals have been a conglomeration of personal and impersonal—

scribblings which sometimes lead to published work, but other times include lists of things to do and books to read. Now that some of my scribbles have gone public, I find myself a little more reflective. I try to keep my blog entries general enough so that those who are not authors will also find them stimulating, but those particularly interested in the writing life will gain some personal insight into their chosen field.

In general, there continues to be an intrigue and mystique associated with the writing life. I learned this while editing my last book, Writers and Their Notebooks (The University of South Carolina Press, 2010), and how fascinated readers are to hear about how the writer’s mind works. Even though we don’t get paid much, many people still say they would love to be a writer if they had time. In fact, yesterday I had lunch with a dear friend whose son asked her, “Mom, if you could be famous for anything what would it be?” She turned to him and in spite of working in a completely unrelated field, said, “I would want to be a famous writer.”

Surely everyone else’s grass looks greener, but if you love to read you probably would be proud to call yourself a writer. OK. I’m veering from the subject of blogging, but also making a point that there are different types of author blogs and it’s beauty is that it gives you a chance to ramble and muse. Alas, I have made a promise to my readers that my blog will never exceed 1000 words, and most often they hover around 700. Long blogs will loose readership. We simply all have too much to do.

Many authors already have blogs, but if you are considering one, here are some things you should know about the different types of blogs:

Daily Blog – Even though at first, this may seem like a wonderful idea because it inspires regular writing, these types of blogs are very difficult to maintain over a long period of time. The idea is that writing your blog should not be a chore, but something you actually look forward to doing. You also want to make them stimulating and interesting to read, unlike the journals you kept as a young child. In your first draft, you can start by writing, “Dear Diary,” and write from your heart, write about what really interests you and chances are it will also interest your readers. Then go back and cut what might not be interesting.

Weekly Blog – This is what I do, because a week’s time frame presents itself with enough material to filter through and find something captivating to write about. If nothing happened or sparked your interest in the past week, then write about something in the news which interests you. Write about what you’ve read. Write about a movie you saw.

Subject-directed blog – This is a good type of blog, particularly if you are a nonfiction writer who specializes in a particular topic, whether you’re a politician, scientist, activist, photographer, fashion designer, medical practitioner, painter or filmmaker. These types of blogs stir up the most controversy and will probably get the most comments.

Group Blogs – This is a good way to go if you are unable to make the commitment to a weekly blog. You might want to gather a group of authors together who write similar books and take turns blogging. If you choose this route, make sure you have a list of guidelines laid out in the beginning. In addition to my personal blog, I am a guest blogger and columnist on a few other blogs and I enjoy the occasional and refreshing nature of this arrangement.
What makes a powerful blog? This is an important question because unlike diaries, there’s really no use for a blog without readership. I suppose we should ask our readers, but many of mine have told me that they were just thinking about the subject I blogged about, which I guess means that my blogs are very timely. So here are some tips I live by which might help you:

1 – Have your finger on the pulse on the times.

2 – Let your personality shine through. Readers are attracted to passion in writing.

3 – Write well and compelling text. Sometimes a good writer can make an uninteresting story or life sound very interesting. It’s all in the writing.

4 – Update regularly. My readers expect my entries on Monday.

5 – Stay ahead of yourself. Typically I am one week ahead, just in case and I cannot blog on a Monday, I always have an entry in the hopper.

And the best news of all, (before this blog entry gets too long), is once in a while we hear that blogs can sometimes lead to a book contract – now wouldn’t that be a perk?

Happy National Poetry Month!

Published on April 5, 2010 in Author Blog, Billy Collins, Creativity, General Information and Writing, journaling. Tags: , , , , , .

2 Comments

In honor of National Poetry Month, on Saturday I read at the Santa Barbara Library, along with six other poets who also had a new poetry collections published in 2009. It’s really nice to see that people are still coming out for readings and that poetry is still alive and well.

Even if you are not a poet or avid reader of poetry, this might be a good time to bring poetry into your life. Here are some ideas you might want to consider:

1)    Select a poem you love. Copy it and put it in your pocket. For the month of April, share it with co-workers, family, and friends. This is called the “Poem in Your Pocket,” program.

2)    Receive a poem a day. Here’s where you can sign up: http://www.poets.org/poemADay.php. Each morning in your mailbox, you will receive a new poem to celebrate National Poetry Month. Incidentally, the poems have been selected from new books published this spring.

3)    Attend a poetry reading.

4)    Organize a poetry reading.

5)    Subscribe to a literary magazine.

6)    Revisit an old favorite poem.

7)    Memorize a poem.

8)    Write a poem.

9)    Send a poem to a loved one.

10) Start a poetry notebook where you copy and save favorite quotations and poems.

11) Put a poem in your child or loved one’s lunch box.

12) Buy a poetry book.

Although I have done a number of things on this list, the most recent undertaking was to buy a copy of Billy Collins’ latest poetry collection which was just released in paperback. It’s called, Ballistics: Poems (Random House, 2010). As usual, it’s never easy for me to choose a favorite poem of Billy’s because I love them all, but here’s one to whet your appetite and maybe send you to the bookstore to buy the entire collection:

A DOG ON HIS MASTER

As young as I look,

I am growing older faster than he,

seven to one

is the ratio they tend to say.

Whatever the number,

I will pass him one day

and take the lead

the way I do on our walks in the woods.

And if this ever manages

to cross his mind,

it would be the sweetest

shadow I have ever cast on snow or grass.

What To Write….

Published on March 22, 2010 in Uncategorized. Tags: , , , , , .

0 Comments

Whether you write fiction, nonfiction or poetry, there’s no doubt you have a unique story to tell with your very own perspective. For many writers, reliving and retelling childhood stories are common platforms for their work. We often return to those times because they were filled with pain, joy or unanswered questions.

Even though we might have a sense of what story we need to tell, but once in a while we get stumped. Many writers say their best story ideas come to them when not sitting at their desks ‘working,’ but rather when they’re out and about. It’s important to remain alert to those mundane moments in everyday life—odd discoveries and chance remarks made by others in social, work or casual settings. Compelling stories contain snippets of these incidents woven with well-known factoids. That’s one of the many good reasons to carry a notebook with you wherever you go.

My typical day begins with reading the newspaper, either on line or with my morning coffee. An article might spur my interest which would drive me to surf the web for more information. If I am in the middle of another project, I will toss the idea into my “Writing Idea,” folder which contains stories I hope to tell one day. Whether I get to them or not is not important, the important thing is to have that folder for those days when my well runs dry.

Outside of having the “Writing Idea Folder,” when stuck for ideas, here are some questions you can ask yourself:

1)What is going through your head?

2) Who are your villains? Who are your heroes?

3)What are you obsessed by?

4) What inspires you?

5) Where are you in your life now?

6) What stories are you compelled to read?

Whatever you choose to write, you will soon realize that the creative journey is similar to life’s journey—it is unpredictable, unstructured, mysterious and laden with miracles.

In her book, Negotiating With the Dead: A Writer on Writing (2002), Margaret Atwood says this, “Writing has to do with darkness, and a desire or perhaps a compulsion to enter it, and, with luck, to illuminate it, and to bring something back out into the light.”

In Writing (1993) Marguerite Duras says, “Finding yourself in a hole, at the bottom of a hole, in almost total solitude, and discovering that only writing can save you. To be without the slightest subject for a book, the slightest idea for a book, is to find yourself, once again, before a book. A vast emptiness. A possible book. Before nothing. Before something like living, naked writing, like something terrible, terrible to overcome.”

William Faulkner believed that there’s a more profound reason why writers write. “An artist,” he says, “is a creature driven by demons. He has a dream. It anguishes himself so much he must get rid of it.” Whatever this dream is writers often lose sleep until the project is completed and this is how they uncover the story they have to tell.

In many ways, writing could be thought of as a modern, guilt-free replacement for confession. This might be one reason so many people are drawn to writing memoirs and personal essays. Writing about real life experiences is like a snake shedding its skin and leaving a former self behind. It’s easier moving forward when the baggage from the past is dropped. Franz Kafka summarized this idea beautifully by saying, “I write in order to shut my eyes.” Fiction writers might argue that they write fiction so that they can tamper with the facts in their life and that they have more freedom during the writing process.

Joan Didion says this about her writing, “Had my credentials been in order I would never have become a writer. Had I been blessed with even limited access to my own mind there would have been no reason to write. I write entirely to find out what I’m thinking, what I’m looking at, what I see and what it means. What I want and what I fear.”

In essence, we write to know ourselves and to figure out the world around us. Even our darkest—or unknown—thoughts, memories and fears, can transform themselves to reveal value and meaning in our lives now. And with any luck, for others as well.

A Writer's Spring Cleaning

Published on March 15, 2010 in Uncategorized. Tags: , , , , , , .

1 Comment

For me, springtime is the perfect time for cleaning, not only our physical space, but our literary domains. This could mean organizing everything from our desk to our thoughts to our musings, to our unfinished poems or manuscripts.

In order to initiate this process, the writer needs to visit their favorite writing place. Visiting that special place in the springtime offers a unique opportunity to clean up the clutter sprawled about our literary world.

Virginia Woolf, author of Mrs. Dalloway, To the Lighthouse, Orlando, and A Room of One’s Own coined the term, “A Room of One’s Own.” Woolf referred not only to the physical room—but also to the figurative room, the places writers go to tap into their subconscious or to find the muse that sparks their creative energy. This is a place writers are safe and happy, whether it is in the confines of their own home, in a coffee shop or in a retreat. Most writers are aware of their “place.”

While in your place, think about simplifying your life. One reason to consider doing this is so that you have more time to do what you really want to do, and that is write. To begin your cleaning, try composing , a literary to-do list. Start by making three columns. The first one could be called,  “Works-in-Progress,” the second could be “Future Projects,” and the third might be called “Back Burner Projects.” Preparing this list  will make it easier for you to prioritize and help you see that all of your projects may not be viable. Springtime gives you permission to make decisions about what’s important.

After preparing your list, go to the right column and start by filing away projects on the “Back Burner.”  Just get them off your desk. Perhaps you will return to them at a later date, but don’t let them clutter your work space. Remember that your goal for spring-cleaning is to de-clutter. Next, put your “Works-in-Progress” and “Future Projects,” in order of their priority. Now glance at your list again. Perhaps you have some insights about your work. This might be the time to crack open a new journal and jot them down.

I think of springtime as a time of new beginnings. Many of you know that I’m a journaling advocate for both the young, old, happy and sad. I believe there is a place for notebooks in all of our lives, whether it’s a small pocket notebook like the one carried by poet Kim Stafford or a larger format like I keep on my desk.

You might choose one notebook to lump all your musings, or you might favor separate ones for different projects. You might considering beginning a gratitude journal to write about what you’re thankful for and what brings  joy into your life, whether it’s people, places or things. Sometimes half the battle of achieving happiness, rests in the ability to verbalize or write down what brings you joy. What makes your heart dance? Writing empowers you to discover your deepest desires.

Springtime is also a good time to shed bad energy. Focus on surrounding yourself with people who make you feel good about yourself and those who nurture and inspire the writer in you. Wean yourself from what I call ‘toxic persons,’ who cast negative energy your way. This might be more challenging if those people are family members, as my father used to say, “You can choose your friends, but you cannot choose your relatives.”

If you have a relative who you don’t see eye-to-eye with, you might want to consider writing a letter expressing your feelings. Not only will this help relieve some of your stress, but it may also help foster a new beginning in your relationship.

Springtime often floods me with memories of lost loved ones and this is a good time to write about them. I like to think of every day as a new beginning, but springtime has its own unique kind of charm.

Enjoy your own writing and springtime!