An overview of why some choose the “no kids” lifestyle — DISCLAIMER: Those physically unable to produce children who may feel frustration, depression, or anxiety may want to skip this blog. It does NOT intentionally ignore the infertile, but was written merely to give fertile people a starting point in their decision-making process. Why choose to not be a parent? The…

All Protagonist POV, All the Time — (Disclaimer: The word “plotline” may have different meanings in different literary contexts. In this blog post, I use it to refer to the experiences of the hero.) If you’re like me, you love having options. We have uncountable choices when buying cars, going to restaurants, and selecting video entertainment for…

The world is full of mind-boggling variety — Topics deemed “superficial” or “oddball” by typical societal thinking have as much right to get some limelight as any other topics. Writers are advised to “write what you know.” That’s all well and good, but what you know may not be the same topics mainstream media churns out daily. So…

“C” may be for “cookie,” but it also represents my year. — Crappy Conditions We all have life situations, long-term or short-term, good or bad. I’m no different. Some 2022 issues I dealt with took perseverance, patience, and reminders to take it one step at a time. Chompers (a.k.a. teeth) We all want good health, but sometimes the maintenance of specific body parts requires long-term specialized attention.

Don’t die with regrets. Go pick up those dreams you left by the roadside. — If you have zero regrets, your life is like a unicorn — beautiful but nearly impossible to find. Depending on which source you read, anywhere from 32–90% of people have regrets about previous life decisions. That’s a big spread. …

Five exterior decorating tips from a Halloween fanatic — This Halloween, I wanted to avoid a significant decorating headache. My home’s lack of an exterior electrical outlet has been a thorn in my side for years. Yeah, I have some battery-powered decorations, but all the others have traditional electric cords and plugs, which are not always convenient or safe…

Spice up your text to keep your audience glued to the page — I’m such a word nerd that I keep a list of words and their meanings because they sound cool! Such a collection may sound dorky to some. But to my fellow writers, I say this: if you’re serious about reaching your readers and want to avoid the same humdrum words…

Don’t smack your friends upside the head with tons of info all at once — I’m part of a core group of friends in an ongoing Facebook chat. We started in earnest at the beginning of the pandemic, as one does when stuck at home. It’s still going strong. Since then, I’ve learned which friends write long, drawn-out doctoral dissertations and which ones pepper the…

Because daily laughter is still important — Laughing is a by-product of being entertained, but it can also help you endure hard times. I try to do it at least once a day. But don’t take my word for it. The Mayo Clinic, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and GoodRX Health all agree. To be clear…