You don't need to be a master researcher to turn up lots of writing advice if you're looking to hone your craft. A quick search of the Web or your local bookstore will reveal numerous articles, books, and manuals on how to be a better, quicker, or more successful writer. All of these strategies and techniques, some more helpful than others, require a sharp brain, some creativity, and the energy to see a project to completion. Many tips ...

Words. Weighty things, they are. Words can cut us to the quick, heal past hurts, and cause deep and lasting memories—good and bad. The words we use can influence our states of mind, our states of being, and how others perceive our intentions. Why are words so powerful and why should we care? When we choose certain words, whether unconsciously or with much deliberation, we paint a picture through the metaphors that these words create and the symbols that the words represent. To whit: Death tax versus Estate tax. ...

Thursday night, July 23, 2010, at 11:15 p.m., in the company of friends and family, I said good-bye to the longest-term live-in companion I have known. Cradling my beautiful Persian cat, Murphy, in my lap, I made the difficult decision to let him pass from this realm to the next. The week leading up to his passing was exhausting for both of us. I took him to the vet—I think it was on Monday—where I awaited a diagnosis. He had lost a lot of weight, and his appetite, and the ...