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How Being Creative Adds Years to Your Life
Do creative people live longer? Yes! A study by The Journal of Aging and Health showed that creative people deal better with stress. They

Melissa Gouty
Mar 21, 20203 min read


Feeling Discouraged? Read Lily King's Writers & Lovers for a Boost
Lily King's novel Writers & Lovers tells of the struggles of creative life, of finding love, and of determination to make dreams come true.

Melissa Gouty
Mar 20, 20203 min read


3 Things to Do When You Don't Feel Creative
Research shows that creativity can be enhanced by looking at art, listening to music, and sniffing good smells.

Melissa Gouty
Mar 18, 20204 min read


Eight Books to Distract and Delight You Right Now
Now is the time to stay home and catch up on all those books you’ve wanted to read in the past, but didn’t have time. Sheltering in place do

Melissa Gouty
Mar 18, 20206 min read


The Snakewoman of Little Egypt by Robert Hellenga
I kept thinking about that as I read Robert Hellenga’s novel, The Snakewoman of Little Egypt. It almost sounds like the opening of a joke: “

Melissa Gouty
Mar 17, 20203 min read


Five Ways to Make Every Minute Count
No person on earth has more than 24 hours in a day. No one can concoct a magic potion to conjure extra time for increased productivity. We a

Melissa Gouty
Mar 16, 20203 min read


How to Easily Triple Your Reading Time
How much time do you spend reading each day? 15 minutes? 30 minutes? How much time would you like to have in the company of a book? No matte

Melissa Gouty
Mar 16, 20203 min read


Unconditional Love Lessons in a Bookstore
This man was caring for his wife “through better or worse. In sickness and health.” He was performing acts of unbelievable love every day. D

Melissa Gouty
Mar 15, 20205 min read


How to Ignite Your Writing Fire
If you don’t know Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within, go out and buy a copy today. If you do know it, you’ll be smiling becau

Melissa Gouty
Mar 10, 20203 min read


How a Poet Improved My Writing, My World, and My Life
Maya Angelou entered from the back of a big conference room. Well before I could see her, I heard her, a booming, mellifluous, voice with ju

Melissa Gouty
Mar 10, 20204 min read


How to Boost Your Career and Improve Your Life
A mentor will boost your career and improve your life, and they're easy to find because they come in all shapes and sizes. Mentors help. All

Melissa Gouty
Mar 5, 20203 min read


How to Be a Committee of Joy: 3 Life-Affirming Activities That Increase Happiness
Being joyful is determined partly by genetics. But you can choose to bring joy to others by practicing gratitude, showing compassion, and li

Melissa Gouty
Mar 4, 20203 min read


How to Sell 60 Million Books in Spite of the Critics
The critics hated The Bridges of Madison County, but the tactics Robert James Waller used in his novel made the readers love it. 60 million

Melissa Gouty
Mar 4, 20206 min read


What Can a Child Really Know of Death?
I was too young to understand a tragic death at the age of 7. It was only as an adult I experienced delayed grief for my first lost love.

Melissa Gouty
Mar 3, 20204 min read


How A Man Called Ove Changes from Bitter to Lovable
Fredrik Backman uses three tactics to change a bitter, old curmudgeon into a lovable man in A Man Called Ove, the best-selling novel.

Melissa Gouty
Mar 2, 20204 min read


How to Concoct Powerful Descriptions with Smell
Of the five senses, smell has the most powerful connection to memory and emotion. Writers should use it to create strong descriptions.

Melissa Gouty
Mar 2, 20204 min read


Truth-Telling in the World of Fiction
Julie Orringer's novel dramatizes the life of Varian Fry, who helped get Jewish artists and writers out of occupied France. Much is fiction.

Melissa Gouty
Feb 25, 20204 min read


How to Be More Creative: What To Do When Your Words Misbehave
The most creative writing happens when you follow misbehaving words when they break away from your plan. Mary Oliver's poem "The Beast" is a

Melissa Gouty
Feb 21, 20203 min read


How Many Pulitzer Prize-Winning Novels Have You Read?
What are the requirements for winning a Pulitzer prize in fiction, and how many have you read over the last 20 years? Your score might surpr

Melissa Gouty
Feb 5, 20206 min read


Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger Is No Ordinary Novel
Aspiring writers can learn from the techniques used by Krueger in the acclaimed novel, Ordinary Grace.

Melissa Gouty
Jan 30, 20205 min read
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