Books… Want to Adopt Someone Else’s Life Story? 6 Nov 20126 Nov 2012 It’s National Adoption Month. It’s also Thanksgiving. It was planned that way. If your heart hasn’t been touched lately, consider visiting a court for the finalization of an adoption. Imagine…
Write for Life Two Most Common Survey-Writing Errors 25 Oct 201225 May 2026 ©Anyka, iStockphoto® #8072944 More often than not, the surveys I receive commit the same two errors: one blocks participants and invalidates your data, and the other makes responses less helpful…
Editing… Punctuation Day?! 26 Sep 201213 Oct 2012 Happy Punctuation Day. This is no holy day for editors. In fact, accurate and effective punctuation is probably the least of our talents and the most common way to underestimate…
Advertising… The Worst Birthday Card Ever 8 Sep 201213 Oct 2012 I'm excited to be turning 50 soon, and my friends are celebrating early--even Aetna. They sent a card: "Happy Birthday!" it says, with fourteen lighted candles. It says "aetna" in…
Academic Writing… Grade Inflation: What’s Really Going On 3 Sep 201213 Oct 2012 I had the dubious honor of starting college during the first crackdown on grade inflation. My professors overtly ensured that every grade on our transcripts was hard-earned. Then I immediately…
Children… Oh, the Places You’ll Gather Memories 2 Jul 201213 Oct 2012 At Brenna Martin's high school graduation, she received a surprise that took her father Bryan 13 years to prepare: a favorite Dr. Seuss book filled with comments from all her…
Change the World… Poetics and Paralysis 29 May 20126 Sep 2020 Continuing this theme of learning to listen to silence, consider Matthew Sanford. He teaches yoga, his spinal cord has an interruption, and his story and poetic observations teach us about…
Incubation… Your Writing is a Horse 20 Apr 201213 Oct 2012 What if your writing were a horse? And what if you didn't have to chase it down and manhandle it? Kafka said if you could only be still--"just learn to…
Humor… Calling Alaska 14 Apr 201215 Apr 2012 Flag Counter says this site's visitors include people from 102 countries and 49 of the United States. Naturally, we all wonder, Who is missing?? Alaska! So, hello, Alaska! How have…
Inspiration… Covey on Goal Execution 6 Mar 201213 Oct 2012 Sometimes I run around, chasing urgent matters, forgetting my life's most important goals and priorities. You would think I'd be immune: Stephen R. Covey was a college professor of mine.…
Brain… Want a More Effective Brain? 15 Feb 201215 Jan 2012 Do you think of your brain as a tool? Or have you confused your brain, your processes, your thoughts with your very being? You are not your brain, yet exercising…
Brain… Writing Detox 8 Feb 201215 Jan 2012 Sheila Patel, MD, of the Chopra Center suggests "9 Practices for Seasonal Detoxification," many of which you might expect from a "board-certified family physician and Ayurvedic expert." She prescribes an…
Gwyn Nichols 