How often do you pause to consider physical and psychological prep to maximize your effort? — How many writers here see themselves in Pasternak’s image, above. I for one am raising my hand. Whether his face expresses passion in a singular form, or a typical writer’s frustration in search of the proper word or phraseology is immaterial. I’d venture to say we’ve all been there. If…

All dressed up and nowhere to go? Though it’s a real world issue for many creators, if you fancy yourself a “starving artist” you may have sealed your fate. — I get it. The walls really can feel as though they are closing in, and your moving and breathing space can indeed become increasingly confined. You can barely afford a McDonald’s burger once your monthly bills are paid, if you can pay those bills at all.

Jewish dating after 80. — I loved to tease my grandmother, Eva, who was born on the 4th of July and lived to 100. She outlived two husbands and at 81 elected to dive back into the dating pool. She met a terrific guy from the neighborhood. His name was Lou; that neighborhood was Sheepshead…

Regardless of my personal thoughts on the former president, there is no parallel in this matter. This will be a brief, pointed assertion from a Jew who has lost relatives in World War II, and who has also had survivors in his family. The grandstanding and other politically polarized nonsense…

This is a promise… if you can deliver on it. — The students stood atop their desks as they said their goodbyes to Robin Williams’ Mr. Keating in 1989’s “Dead Poets Society.” They followed the lead of their beloved teacher, who said: “I stand upon my desk to remind yourself that we must constantly look at things in a different way.”

Cut the sales for one month and create goodwill. I continue to receive legitimate opportunities from this platform. Do you? — The spam mystery meat you see above? The ingredients are the following, according to Hormel Foods: Pork with ham meat added, salt, water, potato starch, sugar, and sodium nitrite. Hell, it’s a stretch, but this is very similar to how I see Medium spammers: Manufactured hams with little if any…

The failure-success dichotomy is largely a myth. A choice needs to be made. — We’re writers. We need to work on our mindsets, now and then. From the outset, I’ll state the proof of my contention is not about the belief that some succeed despite being broke, because they tried their best and had nothing of which to be ashamed. Not at all. The…

It’s been nearly 20 years for me as a self-employed writer. A recent rewatch of “Saturday Night Fever” brought it all home. — There is a blink or you miss it scene in “Saturday Night Fever” where John Travolta’s Tony Manero returns to the paint shop where he was formerly employed. His boss, Dan Fusco (played by Sam Coppola), explains they both got carried away when he fired Tony during an argument.

Original material from formerly under-represented authors and screenwriters are paying dividends in a chaotic marketplace. — Introduction Allow me to explain the title of this piece. Firstly, I’m not a fan of the term “minority writers.” Why? Because if I had my druthers I would not compartmentalize human beings. There’s far too much of that going around. Sometimes, it Really is Difficult Being the Adult Writer in the Room Bestselling author James Patterson openly addressed an issue many older white writers have been discussing amongst…joeleisenberg.medium.com