Author: sblerner

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If you fail a test, get rejected for a job, or aren't invited to a party, do you immediately forget about it and think about all the good things in your life? Or do you wallow in misery, feel like a failure, and fall into a funk? If it's the latter, you are not alone. Social scientists posit that… Continue reading The Power of Positive

I plan to try different journaling apps, in order to offer recommendations. I'd also be interested in publishing user reviews of journaling apps, so if you have tried any of them, please send me your thoughts and I will post them, or simply use the comment section. Today, I tried The Journal App, which is for… Continue reading Journaling Apps

Commady No, that isn’t a misspelling. It’s a joke, because it turns out that commas can be funny. I discovered this while teaching my advanced ESOL writing students. Most of the class time is spent reviewing student essays, addressing organization, clarity, grammar, and word choice. The essays range from funny to poignant to informative, and… Continue reading Commady

The paperback version of The Journal Project is in the works. It will be out in the next few weeks. One section deals with the value of writing not only about joyful moments, but also about anxieties or problems. The very process of writing can give clarity to a problem and make it easier to accept.… Continue reading Writing to reduce anxiety

I have finished two novels and two works of non-fiction, all of which required extensive research, and interviews, and I still don't know how to organize all that information so it is accessible when I need it. I take voluminous notes, and then end up trying to keep everything in my head. Unfortunately, that doesn't… Continue reading How to organize research: My Rube Goldberg method and how it is evolving

4.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely fascinating, September 15, 2012 By Kat from The Aussie Zombie (Netherlands) I love historical fiction, particularly stories set around 1940s Europe. A Suitable Husband is set in 1930s Poland, a period that also had my interested piqued, but not a setting of any other books that I can remember… Continue reading Recent Review for “A Suitable Husband”

Karen is a fellow writer who had a wonderful story in the Corner Cafe Collection. I asked her to write more about the story in the context of the novel she's now working on. This is Karen: The Who-What-Where-Why of Corner Cafe: A Tasty Collection of Short Stories by Karen Casey Fitzjerrell The Blog Book… Continue reading Guest Post from Writer Karen Casey Fitzjerrell