“You just haven’t met the right man yet.” “Your clock will start ticking one of these days!” “I know it seems like you don’t want kids now, but just give it time.” “You’re too pretty/smart/nice NOT to have kids.” “Trust me, you’ll want kids one day.” “You’re going to be such a great mom!” “Women who…
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Cultivating Your Writing Voice
At Jess West’s behest, I’ve written this article on what ‘voice’ is in writing, why it’s important, and how writers can cultivate it. Jess has written a post on the same subject, though we both tackled the issue from very different perspectives. Please check hers out as well. You can find it here. At its most…
Read MoreHelp Me Join The #NoPantsClub!
Today is awesome! Today is awesome because you can do two awesome things today. First, you can get me out of my pants by buying my book, THE SOWING, while it’s discounted to $0.99, thus making it more likely that one day in the future I’ll be able to forever forsake alarm clocks and join…
Read MoreOde To The Summer Solstice: A Poem
Solstice, dearest, come and gone, I’ll wear you like a crown I’ll carve your name into the moon And let her blood drip down Solstice, dear, thy hours long Oh, daylight fades to grey You dance with me ’till longing’s gone And disappear come day. Like a lover, known but once You greet me in…
Read MoreFour Ways To Avoid The Trope Of The ‘Strong Female Character’
There’s been a lot of buzz lately about the role of women in literature and film from an article called “We’re Losing All Our Strong Female Characters To Trinity Syndrome”. Published last week by Tasha Robinson, the article primarily argues that screenwriters are providing cop-out “strong female characters” who appear at first glance to be…
Read MoreSelf-Doubt
Last week, I was practicing reading one of my poems aloud by recording it on my iPhone and then listening to the recordings. I did a few I thought were pretty decent, and decided to set them aside so I could listen to them later with an unbiased ear. Maybe I’ll put one of them up…
Read MoreAt The Fading Of The Light: A Poem (Updated With Audio!)
At the fading of the light a little while ago I went out for a walk at night to murder my shadow. He’d dogged me several weeks or more promising relief in his tender hopeless form and sighs of disbelief. I found darkness in his arms A crumbling dismay Emptiness with all its charms Held…
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#MakeKensDay: The Ken Mooney Book Bomb
Love writing? Love doing good things? Love being generally awesome and making people happy? #MakeKensDay by buying Ken Mooney’s books today. After a rough few weeks of seizures and brain surgery, we’re doing what we can to make this writer’s life a little bit better. Read Ryan Williamson’s post for more, and be sure to…
Read MoreWriter Wednesday: Author Interview With Hiba Tahir
For this week’s #WriterWednesday, I’ve invited one of the most inspiring young women I know to The Z-Axis. Hiba Tahir is a high school student with a fierce drive to tell her stories. I have long been impressed with her dedication – after all, I remember the grueling days of high school myself – and…
Read MoreOn Gratitude
My dearest reader, you who have occasionally, or frequently, perused the pages of this blog – read on. This is for you. I think very often that there’s a certain untruth to the phrase “It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks.” We’re taught from a young age to believe in ourselves, and we should. We’re taught…
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The Z-Axis 