No. 119 | By Christine Carron

Last year, I pulled a book off the library shelf, captivated by the title. It was bestselling crime writer and self-help author Sophie Hannah’s How to Hold a Grudge: From Resentment to Contentment—The Power of Grudges to Transform Your Life. 

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No. 118 | By Christine Carron

About five pages in to my first first-draft ever, I had a somewhat obvious realization: “Whoa, if I want to write a book, I actually have to write a book.” The whole endeavor felt suddenly so real and daunting. Doubt flooded in: Will I really be able to...

No. 117 | By Christine Carron

Sometimes when I am reading a book, a phrase grabs hold of me. I internally experience a deep-bellied “Yes!” That’s what happened when I read a line in Pixar co-founder Ed Catmull’s Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in...

No. 116 | By Christine Carron

Here is the origin story of Goodjelly. I was at a Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators national conference in New York City and was sitting in the main ballroom between sessions, honoring my introvert soul by taking a decompression break. Most...

No. 115 | By Christine Carron

I have a theory. We all have a natural (but ever evolving) creative style and rhythm. Our personal creative code, so to speak. We also have the reality of the current context in which we create—for example a working parent will have a different context in which...

No. 114 | By Christine Carron

You have to get words down on the page to make progress as a writer. That said, words on a page do not guarantee you are making meaningful progress toward your ultimate writing goals. In short, activity does not necessarily equal productivity. 

So how does a...

No. 113 | By Christine Carron

Getting your work critiqued is an important part of the writing adventure. It might also be a harrowing process. You have to navigate your own hopes and vulnerabilities, along with your critique givers’ opinions, feedback styles, and intentions. When,...

No. 112 | By Christine Carron

Writers want to make progress. I’d also like to believe that all writers would like to suffer less while achieving said progress, but I know that some writers believe that suffering during the making of the work somehow makes the work itself more legitimate....

No. 111 | By Christine Carron

This is the fifth and final post in the Goodjelly Moves series. Each of the five Moves represents a core quality or energy needed to ace the writing adventure. The Moves framework conveys the reality that productivity is, like the seasons, cyclical—requiring...

No. 110 | By Christine Carron

This is the fourth post in the Goodjelly Moves series. Each of the five Moves represents a core quality or energy needed to ace the writing adventure. The Moves framework conveys the reality that productivity is, like the seasons, cyclical—requiring both...