Hillary Rettig's Blog, page 12
April 12, 2015
“Wise and kind and supportive.”
Kari Sperring – I’ve just been reading Hillary Rettig on writing (recommended to me by Stephanie Burgess and I am very grateful to her for that, for it is excellent). One of the things she writes about is how invested writers become in our work and its reception. It can sometimes become all tangled up […]
March 18, 2015
Well Paid New York Times Writers Have Interesting Theoretical Discussion on Whether Poverty is Good for (Other) Writers
“Do Money Woes Spur Creativity or Stifle It?” This was the dingbat question editors of the New York Times Bookends column considered worth debating this week. I’ll share my full comment on the piece in a moment, but first: can you even imagine asking this about practitioners in any non-arts field? I can’t! Gives you […]
Upcoming Workshops and Classes (May – July 2015)
Boston, Wednesday March 25 (this coming Wednesday!) 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. Trident Bookstore! (Yeah!) Secrets of Exceptional Time Manager (for all freelancers / entrepreneurs) More info. Lansing (MI), April 18 Avoiding Writers’ Block and Finding Joyful Production part of A Rally for Writers conference More info. ALL writers are invited to take the next two […]
March 15, 2015
Why a Course on Weight Loss for Writers?
On May 11, I will be starting my next SavvyAuthors’ exclusive Weight Loss for Writers class. To my knowledge, you won’t find another class like it anywhere. But why a class on weight loss just for writers? Well, for one thing, writing is a sedentary occupation, so it’s easy for writers to gain weight. For another, […]
March 11, 2015
Sisyphus should not be your role model! (Or, what to do if you’re distracted by the Internet.)
Wasting too much time online? The solution is actually easy: disconnect. At various times, and in various situations, I’ve done all of the below—and sometimes two or more at a time: In households where others needed WiFi access, I’ve chosen not to give myself the WiFi password. That meant that while everyone else could access […]
January 19, 2015
You Can Literally Do the World’s Toughest Rock Climb and People Will Still Find Something to Criticize
So after seven years of planning and preparation, and nearly three weeks of grueling effort and inspiring teamwork, two guys succeed at literally the toughest rock climb in history and some people can still find something to criticize. When I first spotted the critical comments alongside the New York Times articles on Kevin Jorgeson and […]
January 7, 2015
How to Have a Beautiful Soul
Some books that profoundly influenced me in 2014, and that I urge you to check out, are: Steven Pinker, The Better Angels of Our Nature. A massive but highly readable book whose encouraging thesis is that humans are getting less violent over time. Doris Kearns Goodwin, Team of Rivals. About Lincoln and his cabinet. Spellbinding […]
7 Secrets of the Prolific Gets 150th 5-Star Amazon Review
Read it here – and thanks everyone! (If you haven’t yet reviewed it please do so–that’s the single best way to support my work.)
December 29, 2014
Why a Course on Weight Loss for Writers?
On January 12, I will be holding my SavvyAuthors’ exclusive Weight Loss for Writers class. To my knowledge, you won’t find another class like it anywhere. But why a class on weight loss just for writers? Well, for one thing, writing is a sedentary occupation, so it’s easy for writers to gain weight. For another, overweight […]
December 19, 2014
How to Deal With Your Family Over the Holidays
For many people, holidays are incredibly stressful. Even leaving aside issues related to family history and dynamics, when people who happen to be related but don’t have much in common get together there can be multiple points of contention, including food, politics, and religion. Here are some tips for coping. 1) Educate Yourself (or Refresh […]
