If you know my sister, Andrea, you will understand her preference for cats with a certain punk-rock personality, shall we say. When shopping for a new cat, she may be told: “Mittens has a loving personality, purrs all day, and loves to curl up with you for a relaxing nap.” …

An open letter to Medium — Dear members of Medium, Unlike the wars from generations past which were fought in static newspapers and through short television clips, the war for Ukraine is fought online. On Twitter, even. It is extremely personal. In your face, hauntingly close. In living color. Not black and white. Even though we…

How to quickly level up your marketing Hey guys, if I can do it. You can do it. I am a productive writer but I didn't know a thing about marketing myself. Let’s face it, Medium is the greatest thing since sliced bread. You get to share your writings and…

Just follow this simple but challenging checklist — Read, Write, Comment each and every day — Join a Zoom writing group. The London Writers Salon — (50-minute daily sessions) https://londonwriterssalon.com/ Follow and interact with great writers across platforms (Medium, LinkedIn, Twitter — each offers a different way to learn about someone) Play with pain. Write on days you…

A movie helped me find the spirit to grow in this tricky stage of life — My father always said, “Getting older is not for whimps…” I am starting to embrace the “getting older” stage now at 65. A new club that never even had the decency of sending me an invitation. I was rudely just drafted. Yet today I feel light in both mind and…

This crazy mind of mine…. — I hate freewriting it is such a pain. Putting my head of confusion on paper…more painful than just being frustrated with a solid dose of cabin fever. I am in no threatened space. No tiger is about to eat me. Yet, I feel like I am being eaten by two…

Creative Time is your Superpower — Consuming media is so relaxing but keeps you stuck! Can anyone relate to the challenge of just hanging around online? Congratulations if you are a regular creator — -writing, creating music, learning a new skill — -or better teaching a new skill. For me, it is making regular contributions to…

Spring has Sprung — Here’s a simple way to Calm-the-Hell-Down — The world can be a crazy place. I find myself feeling stuck a lot and reading the daily news only makes it worse. But the sun is coming out here in the NorthEast — even though I look at Florida temperatures regularly and am amazed at how they are rocking…

One of the gloomiest, uninspired movies I have ever seen but still can’t stop thinking about it — Do you ever get a really off-beat somewhat distasteful song in your head, and yet it plays there all day? Well, this odd, little/big movie may get stuck in your mind in the same way — even if you try hard not to let it. The Cliff-Notes version of the…