It has been blistering hot this past month. (Yes – even in Canada!) A few weeks ago, my husband and I were going to be out of town, so I asked my garden-loving parents to water my garden. This wasn’t a small request. They had to drive 30-minutes each way. But they quickly said YES […]

At last! You have the time and quiet space to write and you sit down with a notebook and pen in a cozy spot. A cup of water/tea/coffee sits close by and you wait for the magical words to start flowing. The first few lines stumble onto the page and thennnnn….crickets. You scribble down a […]

Today I want you to write in the wild. My childhood was spent in a peapod hamlet on the prairies. I was the kid with her nose in a book – maybe you can relate. The summers were long and my mom wouldn’t listen to me complain about being bored. “Go outside and get some […]

During the short gardening season where I live in Canada, you’ll often find me outside. I enjoy gardening, although I’m not an expert by any stretch of the imagination. Why do I love it? Writing is like gardening. You have to be willing to pull what isn’t working. And you only get better by getting […]

This is a writing prompt that looks into your future. Don’t fret – you still only need to sit still for fifteen minutes or so. (And you also get to write about the type of senior you will be.) First, let’s look at the present day. This shouldn’t be too difficult for you. I want […]

I love when children read their books to me. They admire the pictures, add their opinions, and point at what stands out on the page for them. If they stumble over a word – they either take a stab at it or ask for help. And then on one sad day, kids stop reading out […]

Writing can be a real bugger. Sometimes you have no idea what you’d like to write about. You want your writing to be profound and meaningful but your brain only comes up with the sound of crickets. This is a writing prompt about a time you needed to loosen up. You?? Yes. You. I’m a […]

I can’t help it. And if you enjoy writing – you can’t help it either. Eavesdropping. While you wait in line at the grocery store, airport or concert – conversation swirls around you like pieces of paper in the wind . Some of it you block out and ignore. Other conversations? You just can’t stop […]