Here we go again. I watch the fan stir the curtains hanging behind it. It seems I have sleepwalked to the controller and turned off the aircon at three in the morning. From the windows, the morning sunlight tries to cut through the thick yellow fabric but barely could, leaving my room dim enough for... Continue Reading →
It's been a while since I last "embarked on some creative pas de deux" (borrowed that phrase from Julia Cameron). I feel excited to be here, finding words and thoughts that are my own. I've been working on a biography, hoping to finish it sooner so I could start writing the other one in queue.... Continue Reading →
My stomach lurches at the thought of Melbourne. Last August, I spent 20 fantastic days in Australia. Before I went there, I thought I’d never recover from chronic burnout, but of course, I was wrong. Jason Silva was right: “Beauty can heal.” My sister and brother-in-law did a good job touring me and Papa around... Continue Reading →
Most of the helpful comments I've received on my writing were from Wendy Dale, my writing mentor. Wendy is both an effective encourager and a constructive critic. She boosted my esteem as a writer like no one did to me before and taught me things I didn't learn from other writing mentors. A few years... Continue Reading →
It's been satisfying to stare into space. The slow tree leaves swaying with the slow wind outside my window tell me I've burned myself out this year again. I have become more efficient this year, though, and my 'work threshold' has increased ridiculously, but apparently, I haven't improved in the aspect of 'rest' yet. I... Continue Reading →
It's been a while. I didn't intentionally take a sabbatical from blogging, so imagine the pang of guilt I'd get every time I visited my site and left it with only an unfinished entry in the drafts folder. I just couldn't have the right mind for it. I wanted to treat blogging differently than any... Continue Reading →
Addictionnoun: a kind of coping mechanism: a subconscious way of filling a space or hollow in one's life or heart: an unusually strong desire or fancy for something Have you ever been addicted to something? Ever since I have observed how bad my addiction to something can get, I make sure to be careful with... Continue Reading →
It's an enticing idea. I had the whole scene playing in my head: I walk into a coffee shop with my laptop - or notebook and pen - queue at the counter for a cup of tea or coffee, and take a seat by the glass window. Then I earn a good sum of money... Continue Reading →
Being hit by the so-called "writer's block" is the worst. It tends to paralyze my writing fingers, followed by the fear that I may not be able to craft words anymore. Not ever. I realized that writing has unpredictable rhythms - muse comes and leaves as it pleases while the block often falls like a... Continue Reading →
I sit at my writing desk now, pondering generosity in writing. Recently, my time's been tight with work, and I noticed that my head's becoming difficult to set right for writing. I struggle. Specifically, it takes me innumerable deep breaths, several walks to the water dispenser, and looking nowhere and around before I can dive... Continue Reading →
Elaine Marie Factor 