If you know anything at all about me and my speaking style, you know that I am a huge, huge fan of humorous personal stories! I think they are, hands down, the best way to add humor to your speech or presentation. I like them better than jokes, funny quotes, and cartoons.

One of the greatest biographies ever written was James Boswell’s The Life of Samuel Johnson. In the biography is a quote by Mr. Johnson that many writers repeat ad infinitum: “No man but a blockhead ever wrote except for money.”

Many of us would like to be able to say that they have written a book. Wanting to, and starting your book can be as easy as that. If you write 500 words a day for a year, you will have written 182,500 words. Most short novels are only about 50,000 words long.

Creative writing is one-half Desire, one-half Learning, one-half Application, and 100% Dedication. Are you Ready for the Ride of your Life?

As a writer you are hand assignments, required pieces to compose and edit and then turn in for publication. Sometimes you must go with the flow to get the job done and to make your supervisor pleased. But in all of this jumble, always work to maintain the authenticity ticking within your being.

Generally, many people think that learning or education stops once they come out of the college and take up a job or profession. It is not the correct way of leading the life. Read on…

The ‘muse’ is an intriguing creative force, and notoriously difficult to define, though very helpful to writers and all other artists. This article looks at historical attempts to define it, and my thoughts about its source and purpose, and how to make use of it.

Tips for avoiding the social and media pressure to spend the entire day glued to the television set. Specifically when faced with key sporting events such as the Superbowl.

Fun with words fashions a tremendous, mind-expanding activity. Whether it is just one word – hyperbole, for example – or a string of words – itinerant interloper on a peripatetic pathway – interacting with words opens up worlds of imagery and delight. Try it today!

Your writing style is unique and individual. It’s very difficult to teach, but not impossible to learn. This article includes suggestions on how to develop your own style.

As you write today, whether a letter, a memo, a novel, or an essay, think about the power of your words including their placement in a sentence and the words that surround them in the paragraphs above and the ones to follow. A weak word like confuse might be used twice over a few pages. A powerful word like baffle or flummox may occupy your writing just once to maintain the strength and integrity of the word. Baffling but true, there is great muscle in words.

Safety and privacy are paramount for long-term happiness and survival. It is great to know that as you exit your home today (after a night of cozy “ensconcement”) that roads have been cleared of snow, patrol-persons are on duty, the sky is glimmering blue, and that the job place is secure. Because you feel protected, happiness can flood in, ensconcing you on a parapet of joy.