Discovering my path to decluttering — Somewhere in the flotsam of my bathroom vanity drawer is a decent pair of tweezers. Somewhere in the deluge of paper bags in my hall closet is a reusable one. Somewhere in my clothes closet is a pair of jeans that still fit. Crap. It’s time to declutter. Usually moving…

I’ve been through a Bay Area exodus before — This week in The Bold Italic, we are publishing The Californian’s Dilemma, a series that goes beyond the headlines about the “California Exodus,” featuring essays from San Franciscans about why they’re choosing to stay or leave. Check back daily for new essays. I was 11 when I first visited San…

avatars by Ava, png by Jean “Mommy, can I play on the iPad?” my daughter calls from the kitchen, where I’m sure her hand is hovering over the device, waiting for my assent. It’s Saturday morning. My partner left early for a round of golf, and I’m an “okay” away…

Listening to my inner wisdom about childbirth, written in 2004 When most people heard I was pregnant, I was asked the predictable questions like: “When are you due?” (March 27th) “Do you know what you’re having?” (No, it’s a surprise.) And “How do you feel?” (Good, all things considered.) These…

This afternoon there was a moment I felt overwhelmed by un-namable feelings. I had heard something inconsequential that triggered a wave of … I tried to name it: fear? worry? grief? Or maybe all of these, in an emotion mash-up soup? I saw a space in my calendar between things…

Thank you,Olivia Fendrich. Ode to teenhood There’s this Sylvia Plath poem called Mad Girl’s Love Song. It might just be the epitome of teen romance, but alas…humanparts.medium.com

My Favorite 3 Posts about NaNo, October 31, 2021 Amethyst Qu has sage advice on how to navigate November holidays, and weekends and get to 50k like a pro: Write a 50,000-Word Pulp Novel Before Breakfast My easy no-outline way of writing short novels in four weeksmedium.com J.D. Cunegan, shares experience from participating in NaNo since 2008. Four Reasons Why NaNoWriMo is Worth Your Time 50,000 words in 30 days. Yes, it’s insane. But it’s also a great tool for writers, new and old.medium.com

How are you planning, pantsting, or plantsting this November? Dearest Wrimos, One might think, being on the board of the whimsical and fantastic nonprofit that is National Novel Writing Month, I would have crafted my November writing plan well before October 31. I have a plethora of reasonable excuses and…

I've heard over and over this week the reminder to stop beating myself up, it's such a default way for me to respond, and takes conscious effort for me to notice, pause, and tell myself a new story. Thanks for the reminder, Mike!