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Harry 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…
Read MoreWanted: Reviewers for Japanese edition of 7 Secrets of the Prolific
We’re just about done with the Japanese translation of my new minibook Perfectionism: Defeating the Enemy Within, and are looking for manuscript readers/reviewers. The book is about 30K words long. We’re looking for diverse readers: students, businesspeople, educators, artists, activists, etc. If you’re interested, please email. No compensation, but you’ll get a free copy of…
Read MoreThe Eroticization of Equality and Social Justice
Note from Hillary: this is a reprint of an article I published elsewhere a few years back that I wanted to archive on this blog. The topic remains timely; thanks for reading! To begin with, check out the romantic presidential couple at the bottom of the right-hand group of pictures (near the date)…
Read MorePassive-Aggressive Poe
Apropos of nothing in particular…
Read MoreHow to Cope With Clueless Questions, Crass Comments, and Crazy Conjectures
Oh, the things people say to writers! “What do you do?” “What do you write?” “Is there any money in that?” “Where have you been published?” “How’s the book coming along?” (Alt: “When will you be done with that thing?”) “Why don’t you just sit down over a weekend and just finish it?” “You should…
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