Posts by Hillary
Writer’s Block is Always Caused and Curable
This essay by Fairfield University professor Elizabeth Boquet on how her writing productivity suffered when she switched from teaching to administration is a perfect illustration of the principles that: 1) procrastination/writers block/underproductivity are always caused (versus being some kind of intrinsic moral flaw like “laziness” or “lack of discipline”); 2) the causes are always outside…
Read MoreTerre Roche: Happiness Comes From Focusing on the Song, Not the Success
Terre Roche and her sisters were substantially more than a flash in the rock ‘n roll pan in the late 1970’s. Their debut album, The Roches, was number one on the New York Times list for the year 1979. But as she describes in this moving article, massive critical acclaim does not always translate…
Read MoreIn Defense of Self-Help Books
I’m totally loving this Psychology Today post by Deborah Hill Cone on how it’s snobbish to put down self-help literature: I will come clean. At my grimmest moments I would turn again and again to books which helped change my perspective and get “another way of thinking about life” although they might not be the…
Read MoreNew Parenthood Can Lead to Situational Perfectionism
A new parent writes to syndicated advice columnist Carolyn Hax about how stressful it can be: I’m a new mom of a pretty but challenging 6-month-old boy. I am a naturally decisive person; however, the anxiety I’m feeling over making the “right” decisions or providing him the “right” things has been difficult to cope with.…
Read MoreHarry Potter and the Boggart Perfectionism
Harry Potter fans recall boggarts as creatures who live in dark household spaces like cupboards and closets and who, when you encounter one, take on the appearance of whatever it is you are most afraid of. In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, there’s a great scene where Professor Lupin and his students provoke…
Read MoreI Wish Hilary Mantel Were My Sister II: Manuscript Coherence and Polish Come Late in the Writing Process!
As if Hilary Mantel’s wise words on memoir weren’t enough, she also has something great to say about the writing process itself. In answer to the question, “What’s the best thing about writing a book?” she replies: The moment, at about the three-quarter point, where you see your way right through to the end: as…
Read MoreI Wish Hilary Mantel Were My Sister I: Memoir Isn’t Easy
Honestly, I wish Hilary Mantel were my sister. Despite egregiously spelling her name with only one “l”, she is one cool writer. In a New York Times interview she demolishes the naive view that memoir writing is easy: Memoir’s not an easy form. It’s not for beginners, which is unfortunate, as it is where many…
Read MoreSix Things You Should Never Say to a Photographer (Or, if You’re a Photographer, Never Say to Yourself!)
by Soraya Rudofsky and Hillary Rettig It’s never easy to be a creator, or creative professional, but in the age of ubiquitous camera-phones, photographers have it particularly rough. Photographers, how often have you heard someone say one of these: 1. “Photography’s easy, because the camera does all the work.” 2. “Photography’s not a real art…
Read MoreWhat Joyful Productivity Looks Like: The “Woodland Trail” Metaphor
Picture your writing (or other work) session as a stroll down a beautiful, sun-dappled woodland path. The path is wide and flat, the air warm and inviting, and on either side of you are banks of friendly plants alive with twittering birds. You’re having a marvelous time, and are moving at a relaxed, yet efficient…
Read MoreGeorge Clooney on Mental Backpacks
George Clooney! A few days ago I wrote this piece on how having a mental backpack can slow you down. How could I have forgotten this scene from the great movie Up in the Air? Thanks to Angela Beeching, author of Beyond Talent: Creating a Successful Career in Music for the reminder. Now I’m going…
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