I recently had the privilege of speaking to a group of 50 teachers for the National Writing Project conference at the University of West Florida. I delivered an hour long presentation on my writing background and experiences writing as a child. In addition, I shared how I came to write the book Kazoo Makes the …
How does a writer like me re-energize and stay inspired to keep writing? The answer to that changes daily. But today my inspiration came from a whole room full of people, mostly educators dedicating time on a Saturday to help promote writing and reading among the youth in our community. It was a humbling, amazing …
“Shut up and Get to work!” I yell at myself. That’s right. I can talk to my inner voice like this. And sometimes I need to. I doubt I’d appreciate anyone else being so blunt with me. But I often need to stare my whiny self in the mirror and tell me, “Enough already! Plant your butt …
A few days ago I was asked to be part of a project. I said “No” right away. I’ll be honest…it felt really good to say No! I gave a strong, quick answer. I was decisive. I felt empowered. Damn, I really meant it too. I said No and Wow, I was relieved. I took myself out of the …
Eighteen pairs of eyes gazed at me as I explained the term entrepreneur. I gave a 45 minute lesson plan on business tips for second graders to Denise Moore’s class at Beulah Elementary School on April 6. I give presentations often for my employer, the Florida SBDC at UWF, but I was most nervous about …
Yesterday I served as a judge for the University of West Florida Marks Invitational which is a speech and debate (forensics) competition where students compete in a variety of categories. I volunteered to judge one or two panels. They placed me in the dramatic interpretation contest. Other events like impromptu, humorous, and other topics were taking …
During an employee conference break last week, I noticed I had voicemail blinking on my cell phone. I listened to the message. It said the following: “Thank you again for all the help you’ve given me with this project of ours. I took your words and thoughts into account. You made my story better. You’ve …
I spent five hours writing and editing a 2-page critical analysis this weekend. Prior to that, I researched material on and off during a period of four weekends. As I type this and read my words aloud, I feel a bit ridiculous. Yes, it really has taken me this long to do a simple homework assignment. To …
The phrase, “Expect for your Mind to be Blown,” were the words that stuck within my head after an all-day graduate studies workshop on Saturday. This was my biggest takeaway from the session. Our day was filled with paper writing tips, examples on APA style, open discussion with other students and professors in the program but …
Over a week ago I completed my first graduate school class. Remember how I shared how I’m going back to school after a fifteen-year break? Well I began my class in the middle of May. June was mostly a blur thanks to this intense, half-summer session. The course really pushed me to my academic limits. Several people …
