Tag: writing
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Dot the i’s and cross the t’s
My to-do list overfloweth. So very many steps to follow to be successful in any profession, whether in the writing world or the political. First things first, of course: in writing, learn the craft. Write, and write some more. While that mythical 10,000 hours plateau looms, when the piece is ready, find beta readers: a…
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Oh, grow up already!
As so often happens, when an idea begins poking at the edges of my unconscious, I see reminders of it in other areas of life – an occurrence blamed on our “reticular activating system.” It’s why when we’re shopping for a red convertible, suddenly they’re everywhere. And as my writing life and political adventures continue to…
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As long as you are watching.
“Character is doing the right thing when nobody’s looking.” ~ J.C. Watts (and others) Conversely, what about doing the right thing especially when others are watching? Most of us have had moments (too many, in my experience) when it was easier to not do the right thing, to not speak up when the vulgar/racist/sexist joke…
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The journey, not the destination (Yeah, right!)
Persistence: firm or obstinate continuance in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition Another whirlwind week on the writing/campaign journey, and the parallels continue to astound me. As any writer knows, persistence is key to this life we’ve chosen. Persistence to actually finish a piece, whether it’s a poem, flash fiction, or a…
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Parallel journeys: writing and politics
As an introverted (if opinionated) writer, I have never imagined myself taking the bizarre leap I was offered this week. Of course, I said that about teaching, too, and I’ve been doing that for seven years now. But this is different: I took out petitions to run for political office. And not just local school…
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Let’s keep talking, shall we?
During last week’s “Introspection,” I briefly referred to microaggressions, any discussion of which leads to trigger warnings, a separate but intricately related issue. A kind reader reminded me of a September 2015 article from The Atlantic, “The Coddling of the American Mind,” that made the round in the academic circles and elsewhere when it came…
CL Pauwels at Large 