She was mentally ill because she was allowed an education, the doctor told her father. Books were the problem. No more books. — “We write, not with the fingers, but with the whole person. The nerve which controls the pen winds itself about every fiber of our being” — Virginia Woolf Virginia Woolf was a famous and successful writer. Married the love of her life and opened a publishing house together. They published…

When Victor Hugo died at 83, despite asking for a pauper’s burial, two million people showed up for his funeral — On a freezing cold day in February, 1829, Victor Hugo watched a man in rags being dragged away by police for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his starving family. He wasn’t watching the man, except peripherally. As the police dragged the struggling man away, Hugo was watching the…

To make any money, you have to master writing faster. — Ever had this happen? You spend hours on a story only to have it flop. Then some dumb rant you typed in 20 minutes takes off and gets a ton of reads and claps. People love to say it’s a crapshoot. Sometimes it’s a crapshoot, for sure. You never know…

Mental health quacks and money liars, I’m talking to you — Sorry. Rant. Sometimes things need to be said. Not that the offenders are going to listen. They never do. Back when Covid was new Medium used to put a green bar at the top of Covid posts if they weren’t by a verified professional. …

Last week I learned that a woman I used to read at another writing site died. I didn’t know. We lost touch when the site died. So here’s the thing… — “The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.” — F. Scott Fitzgerald Last week a writer I know left Medium. Her income dropped over 90% and she can’t justify the time…

Writers, pay attention because there’s a lesson here and Medium works the same way — now more than ever. — You know what cracks me up? All the opinions writers have about Harry and Meghan. We hate you, shut up already. Meghan is a controlling witch. It’s all her fault. Poor Meghan, they hate her because she’s black. Racist jerks. You go, Harry. Stick it to the royals, they suck. …

In 2019, scientists and archeologists found the cave of Medusa with fragments of a 2500 year old carving of her — “Flee, for if your eyes are petrified in amazement, she will turn you to stone.” — Gaspare Murtola, 16th century poet Here’s what you probably know about Medusa. She was a monster who had snakes for hair and turned men to stone by looking at them. Except, that’s not the…

Not understanding image rights can really cost you — I read about an artist whose art prints went viral. Galleries were calling. Her prints were selling like crazy. She went “quit the day-job” viral. She found overnight success at the crossroads of social media and luck. It was every artist’s dream. She was so excited. At first. …

I’m not sure the best quotes made the top picks… — Stephen King’s “On Writing” is one of the most popular books about the craft of writing. It makes me happy to say that. Because a lot of great writers are not necessarily great people. Despite being the most awarded writer of all time, Roth was a real jerk. Charles Dickens…