This festive flower helps us celebrate the holidays with style — Poinsettias always make me smile — I love their festive red color and the way they instantly brighten any room with holiday cheer. I’d never seen a poinsettia until I moved to California after graduating high school in New Jersey. …

Ditch what’s holding you back and take a bold move forward — What’s a Writer’s Mindset? It’s the positive and negative stories you tell yourself about writing. An old computer programming adage is Garbage in, Garbage out. It applies to writers too. If your writing mindset (programming) is primarily negative, then your writing output will be too. So how do you eliminate…

And create a deeper connection with your readers — I grew up in a family of storytellers. My parents often shared stories of their childhood, their family experiences and everything else that went on around them. So it’s no big secret why I love reading and writing stories. Our stories tell us who we are and where we came from. Humans are hardwired to love listening to and reading stories. …

Grab your reader’s attention fast and stop the scroll — I’ve always loved writing headlines. It was one of my favorite things about being a reporter. It’s a short, but challenging writing exercise and if you get it right more people will want to read what you write. The assignment if you choose to accept it: How to pack as much punch in a short sentence that really…

Medium’s Draft Link and Listen Feature make it a snap! — As an editor, I learned a long time ago that it helps to review your stories in different ways to make sure you catch any glitches that are hiding in plain sight. Here’s 2 quick and easy ways to do a fast final check. Tip #1 — Open your story in a draft link to see exactly how it will look when it’s published on Medium. Just read through your story and…

It’s a combination mystery, thriller and coming of age mashup that’s wicked good — I grew up watching the Addams Family series on TV in the mid-60’s and all the other spin-offs since then. And in every iteration of the spooky, kooky family, my favorites were always Wednesday, Thing and Uncle Fester. So I was dying to see Tim Burton’s new Netflix series Wednesday…

Your music has inspired generations and you’re still standing! Yeah, Yeah, Yeah . . . — Watching the Elton John Live Farewell Concert last night at Dodgers Stadium on Disney Plus, I was struck again by the magical power of music and words to change lives and help you through the joys and despairs of life. The Rocket Man still has it going on at 75 years of age. It takes me way back to 1975 when I was…

You just have to keep showing up to write, engage and improve. — Nothing will work unless you do. — Maya Angelou People are always looking for some secret to success that will help them crush it on Medium. But there’s really no one big secret. It’s just the same thing that’s ensured success in any creative venture over time. Showing up, doing the work and getting better at it. That’s it. It…

Is this the end or a new beginning? Who knows? — I’ve been a member of Twitter since around 2008. I remember the giddy feeling I had when I first used it. It was fun, cool and I absolutely loved it. The idea of micro blogging was a new concept way back then and I was intrigued by the challenge of…