I work at home. I have a home office with two desks—one for personal use and one for my business—and a separate e-mail so I’m not mixing my personal and work messages. Closing the door and stepping away should be relatively easy. However, the reality is that pending deadlines, my to-do list and the actual [...]

I recently read this quote about being confident in your work and I couldn’t agree more:  
“There is a difference between being arrogant about yourself as a person and being confident that your work has some value. The first is unattractive, the second is healthy and natural. Some people respond to one as if it [...]

We’re having some work done in our house today and I needed a quiet place where I could conduct a phone interview for a story. I sought out some solitude on our back deck and got to sit in the sun for a full 30 minutes while running down my list of questions and learning [...]

Every so often, a potential project comes along that just isn’t the right fit. As a freelancer, it is always hard to turn down work. But I’ve found that it is even worse to take on a project that I can’t commit to 100 percent or that doesn’t tap into the expertise I can bring [...]

Have you ever had one of those days when you just need a pick me up? The "Blog" of "Unnecessary" Quotations can get me laughing every time. It is hilarious. The concept is simple…the author posts pictures and funny commentary of signs with misplaced quotation marks. Whenever I look at it I end up with [...]

If you’re going to be sending a Valentine to a journalist this year, check out the great options at 10,000 Words–Part I from 2009 and Part II from this year. 

In anticipation of Jodi Picoult’s next book, House Rules, that will hit book stores on March 2, I thought we could ‘Pick a Picoult Book’ for the next virtual book club.  

There are 18 to choose from, so pick one that sounds good and let’s circle back and share our thoughts on March 9. Who knows, [...]