Deep in writer's block, I wondered if my career was done. Here's how rereading my childhood journals changed that.
Essays
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Writing Emotions to Create Connections with Readers
At a writing camp when I was 15, a professor told me that when I deeply cared about a subject, it reflected in my writing. But when I was disinterested, the writing became flat. At the time, it felt like a biting criticism of my work. I was ashamed that…
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Maybe I Just Wanted to Be Martha Stewart
Martha Stewart has built a storied career spanning decades and mediums. As I look back, I realize maybe I just wanted to be Martha Stewart.
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When I Am Weightless
In the water, time washes away. Worries are diluted. There’s just my strong, weightless body and laps that I lose count of.
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My John Bender
Maybe we’re all a little John Bender. Acting out to see what happens, pushing back against the rules, insulting everyone and no one.
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What I Am Thinking as I Stare Down an Empty Nest
This is the paradox of parenting. I've raised them to be secure enough to forge their own paths, while I enter my empty nest phase.
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I Failed and I Failed and I Failed
The world judges all the time. But perhaps in motherhood failures we are truly finding how to succeed at raising good and healthy kids.
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When the #MeToo Movement Changed How My Kids Choose Books
My son discovered James Dashner’s series, The Maze Runner, a year or two ago. He’s been reading the books — interspersed with his other favorites, like anything by Rick Riordan and a few manga series — ever since. And I supported this, as I’ve supported his other literary interests since…