Not long ago I read The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday. The premise is based on stoic philosophy, and the author asserts that the obstacle in your way is the way.
I’ve found myself muttering this phrase while out hiking when I encounter a fallen tree on the trail or while driving when I come upon a tractor plugging up the center of the road.
Continue reading “Stoic Philosophy and Writing”This past week I started the Lighten Your Load, Lighten Your Life Challenge. It’s a personal challenge to remove 5 things from my life every day of 2024.
I’ve invited others to join me (and pick their own number). Together in a private Facebook group we are sharing ideas, support, and a few laughs, plus offering accountability with optional daily reports of how we’ve lightened our loads.
When I set out to do this, I expected maybe a handful of my friends might join me, and even made two friends to promise they would join, so I wouldn’t look pathetic if someone I didn’t know decided to join.
To my happy surprise, lots of people have joined the group and the number grows every day (you can join us too! Click here to read the original post and to find the link to our group). It’s been fun and inspiring to see what everyone’s unloading, plus I’ve already gotten a ton of great tips (did you know that Smartwool has a sock recycling program?).
Continue reading “Starting the Year Off Lighter”I was a whiz at the five-paragraph essay in my day. It made so much sense.
Paragraph one: tell them what you’re going to tell them
Paragraphs two thru four: tell them
Paragraph five: tell them what you told them
At least that’s how it was explained to us by Mr. Mountain, the honors English teacher who let us play Trivial Pursuit on Fridays.
I could knock out an A+ five-paragraph essay after 48 hours with no sleep and WAY too much alcohol (I proved that fact in college composition class more often than I’d care to admit).
But here’s the thing about five-paragraph essays: That’s not how to write fiction, or anything anymore (unless you’re in fourth grade and taking a standardized test).
Continue reading “Why the Five Paragraph Essay is Dead”Whenever I have the chance to teach creative writing I teach the 10% rule.
Let me try it right now:
Continue reading “The Ten Percent Rule”The end of the year is just off to the left, there, in the shadows. Are you ready for it? Have you accomplished what you set out to do in 2023?
It’s not too late to throw in a few last-minute hail-Mary goals to aspire to. By my count, you’ve got more than seven weeks—that’s a lot of time. Plenty of time to establish a new habit, break an old one, wrap up a project, or at least make real progress.
This close to the finish line of 2023, I’m feeling pretty good. I’ve moved forward on all my writing projects, even if none of them have seen the publishing light of day. I’ve reestablished the discipline of writing every day, and put practices into place to protect that time. And I’m connecting with myself and the earth, every morning before anyone else (well, except the dogs) gets any of me.
There’s one goal I’m falling way behind on, but to be honest, it was a reach goal to begin with. That said, I haven’t thrown in the towel yet. I’ve got seven weeks to reach it. Seven!
Some of you might be in the same predicament. In fact, I snooped around online and discovered that while many of my friends are on target to reach their goals, plenty of others are as far behind as me or worse!
What common goal are we all striving for?
Our Goodreads goal! (Here’s where the lot of you who roll their eyes at the idea of Goodreads can take their leave—or not.)
In 2022, for the first time, I read 100 books. Actually, I’m sure I read that many books or more as a child/teen but back then there was no Goodreads or Internet or Computers…but we did have libraries, by God, with card catalogs (which were a love of mine—I’m still in search of my own card catalog. Where did they all go? What did all the libraries do with them?).
Feeling overly puffed up about reaching 100 books last January, I decided to up the ante and made my goal for 2023 112 books. That’s only one more a month. Surely, I could do that! And I had an Audible subscription, that had to count for something.
But here we are in the second week of November, and I am 14 books behind my pace, or 31 books to go to reach my goal.
That’s crazy numbers. Unless…I find a few workarounds.
How about children’s books?
Short stories?
Goodreads doesn’t define what ‘book’ means, so last night I listened to Sorry for Your Loss on Audible, which is technically a comedy show, but performed by a writer (and stand-up). It was wonderful (highly recommend it). I typed it into the search bar on Goodreads and there it was – so I marked it read. 30 to go now.
Will I make it to my goal? I’m not laying any odds on this, but it sure won’t be for lack of trying.
Because that’s what it really comes down to for me…forward progress. I am moving myself, my mind, my writing, my life forward. And that’s what matters the most.
How about you? Are you moving forward? What can you do to make that happen in seven weeks? I bet a lot.
If you’re a writer who wants help with that, consider working with me one on one. You can find more information about my 4-week coaching program here.
Hey, thanks for reading. I know you’ve got lots of options, so thanks for sharing a few of your minutes with me.
Honored,
Cara
My latest novel, Blind Turn is a mother-daughter story of forgiveness in the aftermath of a fatal texting and driving accident. Learn more about it and find out how to get your copy here.
If you’re curious about what else I’m up to, check out my website, CaraWrites.com.
If you’d like to subscribe to my occasional e-newsletter, click here.
And If you’re a dog lover, check out my other blog, Another Good Dog. And if you want to know what is really happening in the animal shelters in this country, visit, Who Will Let the Dogs Out.
I’d love to connect with you on Facebook, twitter, or Instagram, and I’m thrilled to get email from readers (and writers), you can reach me at carasueachterberg@gmail.com.
My book, 100 Dogs & Counting: One Woman, Ten Thousand Miles, and a Journey Into the Heart of Shelters and Rescues is available anywhere books are sold, but if you’d like some help finding it (or want to read some lovely reviews), click here.
I’ve often said that as a writer, I wish I had a boss. Or maybe a coach. Someone to give me a little direction, listen to my dreams and guide me toward them, and offer accountability.
Because here’s the thing—accountability is an energy source. It can be the motivation you need to follow through on that big idea and move forward with your dreams. It’s pretty easy to let your goals languish if you’re the only person paying attention to those goals.
One of my superpowers is encouraging others. I thrive on the opportunity to teach, inspire, and help other writers. Between the pandemic and our move to a new state, I haven’t had many opportunities to work with others and I miss it.
My new program is called Write Together, and my goal is to help you move toward your goals with practical ideas and tools you can put into action, helpful (compassionate) critique, and the encouragement you need to believe in your writing and send it out into the world. I’ll offer practical, personalized advice and resources from my two decades of publishing experience in multiple formats.
So whether you’re working on a book, a blog, an essay, an article, or your own journal, I want to help. If you’re still sorting out what kind of writer you want to be when you grow up (no matter your age), you want to start a blog or a freelancing career or find a home for your essay, or you just need a fresh pair of eyes on something you’ve been working on for years, consider joining me for this inaugural Write Together session.
Write Together (beta) is a flexible 4-week coaching program that begins with an initial call to talk about what you want to accomplish over your four weeks. After that, for four (flexible) weeks, you’ll get:
You can choose any four weeks between 10/29 and 12/22, and they don’t have to be consecutive. If you’ve got a conflict, we can work around it. I’m all about flexibility.
Cost is just $100 for the entire program.
If you need a jump start, I’d love to be that for you. If you need help clarifying goals, finding a market for your writing, fine-tuning, or even ugly editing, I’m your girl. And if what you really need is some encouragement and inspiration, I’m all in – that’s my brand and I’m excited to apply it one-on-one.
If you have questions about any of this, please fire away in the comments. If you’re asking, so are others. You can also email me at carasueachterberg@gmail.com or message me on Facebook (@CaraSueAchterberg).
But please don’t wait. I’m only offering Write Together at this price for my beta launch. In 2024, I hope to expand on this and be able to help more people reach their writing goals.
Hey, thanks for reading. I know you’ve got lots of options, so thanks for sharing a few of your minutes with me.
Honored,
Cara
My latest novel, Blind Turn is a mother-daughter story of forgiveness in the aftermath of a fatal texting and driving accident. Learn more about it and find out how to get your copy here.
If you’re curious about what else I’m up to, check out my website, CaraWrites.com.
If you’d like to subscribe to my occasional e-newsletter, click here.
And If you’re a dog lover, check out my other blog, Another Good Dog. And if you want to know what is really happening in the animal shelters in this country, visit, Who Will Let the Dogs Out.
I’d love to connect with you on Facebook, twitter, or Instagram, and I’m thrilled to get email from readers (and writers), you can reach me at carasueachterberg@gmail.com.
My book, 100 Dogs & Counting: One Woman, Ten Thousand Miles, and a Journey Into the Heart of Shelters and Rescues is available anywhere books are sold, but if you’d like some help finding it (or want to read some lovely reviews), click here.
My mother-in-law, who is 85 and still walking many miles a day, living on her own, volunteering at the library, traveling, and actively participating in her community’s life, likes to say “Move it or lose it.” And it rings so true, especially as I find myself shockingly almost old enough for the senior discount.
Of late I’ve realized that move it or lose it also is true of writing. If you want to be a writer, you have to keep writing. You can’t take a week or a month or a year off.
Why?
Continue reading “Move it or Lose It (Write it or Lose It)”I listen to podcasts or audiobooks pretty much every day – while walking, doing puzzles, or driving (three activities I seem to spend a lot of time doing).
I’ve gotten addicted to a podcast called Primal Potential. I found it because I was trying to figure out how to lose the menopause/COVID/drinking-too-much-wine-weight that is not going away even though two out of those three causes have.
Continue reading “Impact Hour”Are you wasting all your time with all these words? #areyoustillwriting #amwriting #writerswrite
I have gotten out of the habit of writing.
And serious writing depends on just that—habit. Not waiting for inspiration or time or a good night’s sleep or a better outline or the dog to shut up or until you take some class/webinar/retreat.
Writing requires that you sit down and do it. No matter what. As often as possible, every day if you can. You start where you are and spill your jumbled thoughts, wandering storylines, and vast emotions on the page. Your fingers tap along as your heart and mind try to make sense of it. (or maybe that’s just how it works for me.)
If you keep going, pressing past the doubt and frustration and discouragement and that little nagging bird fluttering all around you chirping that you’re wasting so much time, if you wave her away and type on, I promise something will come of it.
Continue reading “Writing or Wasting Time?”The hardest part of writing is the first line—it’s just summoning up the gumption to start.
Some days I sit for minutes that drag on and on, finger poised over the keyboard, unmoving. When nothing comes to me, I distract myself with e-mail or Instagram, talk to the dogs, or scroll through Facebook, anything to delay those first words.
According to popular writing advice, those first sentences are critical. Publishing blogs quote agents who advise writers to Continue reading “Finding the Gumption to Start”
My Life in Paragraphs 