I want to be that reader for you.

Over the last 13 years, I’ve honed my skills as a reader and a writer, and I’m ready to share those skills.

I hope you’ll take a look at The Writer’s Next Step page. If there’s anything I can help you with, please ask. And if you know someone who might benefit from taking the Next Step, please share the page with them. Want to know what it is like to work with me? You’ll find some reviews here.

Here’s to the Next Step!

Three weeks with my bestie. Three weeks of days filled to their brim with adventure. Three weeks of yummy cheeses and breads and wines. Three weeks of musing and creating. Three weeks of rain and sun and light. Three weeks in France.

You cannon possess me for I belong to myself
But while we both wish it, I give you that which is mine to give
You cannon command me, for I am a free person
But I shall serve you in those ways you require
and the honeycomb will taste sweeter coming from my hand

I pledge to you that yours will be the name I cry aloud in the night and
the eyes into which I smile in the morning
I pledge to you the first bite of my meat and the first drink from my cup
I pledge to you my living and my dying, each equally in your care
I shall be a shield for your back and you for mine
I shall not slander you, nor you me
I shall honor you above all others, and when we quarrel we shall do so in
private and tell no strangers our grievances

This is my wedding vow to you
This is the marriage of equals.

Six years ago, we vowed to be each other’s shield, to engage in a marriage of equals.

Six years ago, we made the most meaningful promise of our lives.

I am so glad we did.

First, some specific dates:

1. May 2: Last day of classes.

2. May 3-5: My brother and sister who live far away will be in town for the weekend.

3. May 7: Collect final portfolios from students. After that, a grading party, and I’m done teaching for the semester.

4. May 18: Neal and I celebrate our sixth wedding anniversary.

5. May 19-June 6: I visit Sara in France where we will celebrate our 30th year of friendship.

Now, some general lovely things I’m looking forward to in May:

6. I’m going to launch my first e-course. I’ve been working hard to transform my method of finding time to do what I want to do into something that will be useful to you. I can’t wait to share it!

7. Lilacs. Last summer Neal moved our lilac trees to a new, sunnier location, and I expect mounds of flowers this year. They look SO happy with their new homes!

8. Violet jelly. I’m hoping to pick my violets on Wednesday or Friday.

9. Mother’s Day. I haven’t quite decided la façon de célébrer ma mère (I’ve been practicing my French, see?!), but she has had a challenging year and deserves an extra-special day.

10. Did I mention school letting out? And my anniversary? And that adventure ahead of me? Yes. I think May is going to be a lovely month!

What are you looking forward to in May?

In the first chapter of my just-published novel, Emma Jean’s Bad Behavior, the heroine, novelist Emma Jean Sullivan, has a problem (well, she has several of them, but the others don’t become evident until later on in the book).

Emma Jean realizes she has no friends.

She has family, with whom she has an assortment of affinities, most of them not very close.

She has colleagues.

And she has fans, the grandiose word she uses for her readers.

But Emma Jean has no friends.

And every woman needs friends.  We need friends to meet at Happy Hour for a glass of wine.  To parse confusing knitting patterns.  To talk about men.  To bond over a beloved book.  To discuss the day’s news.

In short, we need friends for a sense of connection.

 So Emma Jean, feeling this lack, sets off on a path to make friends.  (Really, its one friend because she can only come up with a single candidate.) And while her efforts meet with varying degrees of success, what happens over the course of the novel is that Emma Jean finds that missing sense of connection, in totally surprising ways.

And her life changes for the better.

Emma Jean learns what many of us already know—that relationships transform our world.  This simple fact is one reason I love writing and reading women’s fiction.  The genre focuses on relationships, and many women put relationships first in their own lives.  This used to be seen as weakness, but more and more it’s looked at as having the power to transform our world.

In the recent book The Bond, author Lynne McTaggart writes, with well-researched scientific backing, of the power of connection, and maintains that strong relationships are the most important aspect of a harmonious life.  And that achieving a harmonious life is the key to a successful future for this planet.

That’s exactly what Emma Jean learns over the course of the novel: that life is simply better when you’ve got friends.

In writing the novel, I learned to value my friends and family even more.  I’ve probably always been guilty of valuing love in all its forms over anything else in my life (including money) and since going on the journey with Emma Jean, I’ve vowed to no longer feel like this is a weakness.

Instead I believe that by focusing on connection, I—along with all my female brethren—am changing the world.

Charlotte Rains Dixon mentors creative writers from passionate to published. Charlotte is a free-lance journalist, ghostwriter, and author. She is Director Emeritus and a current mentor at the Writer’s Loft, a certificate writing program at Middle Tennessee State University. She earned her MFA in creative writing from Spalding University and is the author of a dozen books, including The Complete Guide to Writing Successful Fundraising Letters, and Beautiful America’s Oregon Coast. Her fiction has appeared in The Trunk, Santa Fe Writer’s Project, Nameless Grace, andSomerset Studios and her articles have been published in Vogue Knitting, the Oregonian, and Pology, to name a few. Her novel, Emma Jean’s Bad Behavior, was just published. Visit her blog at www.charlotterainsdixon.com, where you can find all kinds of tips and techniques on writing and creativity.

It’s hard to know what to say. My heart aches for everyone affected by the Boston Marathon bombings. When I heard about them, I fell into a spiral of feeling exactly like I did following 9/11 when I watched the Towers burn from my train platform.

Today many students on my campus looked stunned, worried. A lot of them come from the Boston area. I worked with one student who could barely hold herself together, and despite my efforts to get her to our crisis counseling, she refused, saying she had to just keep working and deal with her feelings later. While we worked together, she was getting texts from her sister, who had been evacuated from her school in the Boston area. It’s hard to be away from home during crisis. That’s what my student was feeling.

An amazing colleague ran the marathon, finishing not long before the explosions. I can only imagine how she will be affected as time goes on. But you know what she’s doing? She’s helping to organize a fun run near our campus as a way to heal and raise funds for One Fund Boston. I’ll be there. I’m sure all see a lot of my colleagues and students out walking and running, too.

Knitters and crocheters, you can read this post and donate some hand-crafted comfort to Krystle Campbell’s family.

This terrific Amy Poehler video is a good reminder. Sometimes we just need to rest our eyes.

And, Boston: this New Englander who has always loved New York best…she’s got you in her heart. Always.

Wishing you all a restful weekend.

1. I still bring my fabulous luggage. I’m a firm believer in investing in quality pieces, and this one looks even better than when I bought it ten years ago.

2. A bathing suit. I have a bikini I like from Fig Leaves. The shop is great for odd shaped (and aren’t we all a bit oddly shaped?) bodies. Even if I don’t end up with a chance to swim, I want to prepared for the beach, a sailboat, a pool…

3. iPad. I now prefer it to my Kindle for reading, mostly because it is back lit. I can’t emphasize how much easier traveling is without books weighing down my luggage.

4. Journal. I plan to do lots and lots of sketching and writing while I’m in France. I treasure my travel journals.

5. Rita. This dress (mine is black) is as comfy as a lovely bathrobe yet looks stylish. It will emerge from my bag sans wrinkles. Should I get asked to a fancy-pants dinner, I will be prepared.

6. Knitting. Since I’m planning a meet up with Heather in Paris, and since we’re having a little #VeeraKAL, I may have my in-progress Color Affection along. Or maybe a sock.

7. Wireless keyboard. This is a little bit of a luxury item to take, but I will be on a firm writing schedule, don’t want to schlep my laptop, and will use it daily (so I say).

8. iPhone. Technically, I could write with this rather than the iPad, but I can’t read on the phone for long periods of time. However, I will listen to audio books and music on it.

9. Good shoes. I’m not sure what I’ll chose for France, but they’ll have to look stylish and be comfortable. In that order. Yes, I am vain, vain, vain.

10. Sense of adventure. I like to balance seeing the touristy sights with meandering. I love the adventure of turning a corner and finding a delightful little museum or shop or cafe. Sara and I are good travel companions (we should be after 30 years of hanging out together!), so I expect that we shall have lots of fun wanders. I’m ready for them all.

What do you like to bring on vacation?

• I always feel stylish and put together. The clothes in my closet are in good repair, fit perfectly, and suit my style.
• I save time. I don’t waffle about what to wear every day, and it doesn’t take long to maintain a small wardrobe.
• I save money. I rarely purchase new clothes now where once I shopped as a hobby. When I do identify an item I’d like, I spend time considering how it will fit in my wardrobe, why I want it, and then I purchase a high-quality garment that I can wear for years.
• I learned a lot about myself and my values.

A little later this year (mid-June), I will embark on a new minimalist fashion project: 52/52. I will narrow my year-round wardrobe to 52 items, which I will wear for the entire year. Linda is taking on the challenge, too.

If you’d like to join me and Linda, or start Project 333 (you can start any time; there’s no reason to wait), but you’re feeling a little anxious about cutting down the wardrobe, I recommend you start with Courtney Carver’s excellent Micro-Course Dress with Less: Click here to view more details.* The course is a week-long, and it includes pdf worksheets, playlists to inspire you (Courtney’s a real Mix Master), and access to a private FaceBook group, where you’ll find lots of people ready to cheer for you and answer questions.

And if you have any questions about paring down your wardrobe, well, I’m here for you. I’d love to chat with you about your clothing list-sometimes it helps to hear that you really can get by with one pair of black pants!

Are you intrigued? What’s holding you back?

*Please note: I am an affiliate for this program. I believe with all of my heart in Courtney’s work. Having done Project 333 for almost 2.5 years, I know her advice works!

It’s how my writing teachers trained me to read. Reading this way means I will always have writing mentors, and they will be at my finger tips night and day.

There’s a different kind of envy, one that feels less useful: professional envy.

Lately I’ve felt it when I

• get a rejection email the same day a friend gets an acceptance
• notice a less experienced blogger has a higher subscription number than I do
• am passed over for promotion
• fail to get a grant

Envy is ugly. Today as I felt it, felt myself spinning into a dark place of telling myself nothing I do is good enough, I paused.

What if I treated professional envy the same way I was trained to treat writerly envy?

What if, instead of feeling ugly, I could find a way to feel hopeful?

What if I

• ask friends with recent acceptances to share their submission strategies?
• use my blogging experiences to write more guest posts and meet new subscribers?
• write about my experiences as contingent faculty?
• create a spreadsheet with upcoming application deadlines, similar to Liana’s 5-yr writing Excel sheet

A conversation on Twitter gave me some ideas, too:

• Dig in to compete with myself more
• Focus on my accomplishments and allow myself to feel proud
• Quiet my mind with deep breaths
• Don’t compare my inside to someone else’s outside
• Revel in my awesome
• If all else fails, bake

I suspect a lot of creative professionals feel similar envy. I strive to lift up my friends, to celebrate their triumphs, and I’ll continue to do so. Starting today, I’ll also acknowledge my professional envy and harness it to help me achieve my own dreams.

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1. Dreams. I so rarely remember my dreams, but lately I’ve woken from a few that have stuck. They are always gruesome. Always. Today, upon 6 a.m. discovery that my university closed for weather, I snuggled under the covers only to awake from a dream about two gangs fighting on the roof of a hotel. There were turtles involved, but not Teenage Mutant Ninjas, rest assured.

2. France. In late May I’m heading to France to spend almost three weeks with Sara. I can’t stop thinking about it!

3. This pattern. Pretty much all of Kate Davies patterns, if I’m to be honest.

4. Potholders. I’ve been hard at work on the last two for my e-book Little Potholders with Big Ideas (click to pre-order!). Next week my graphic artist will take them all for their photo shoot. I can’t wait to see how he styles them!

5. Summer. Now that spring break is over, I’m closing in on summer break. Don’t get me wrong. I love my work. I’m just eager to spend sustained time on my own creative projects.

6. Sketching. I’m taking a class with Katie Rodgers to develop my fashion illustration skills. When I say develop, I mean from nothing. I enjoy sketching, but my skills are elementary. I’m learning a lot, though!

7. The Good Blog Project. I’ve been working with Courtney Carver through this project. She’s helped me to articulate what I want to do and start creating the work that is important to me. She’s opening another session in May, and I can’t recommend it enough.

8. Bloom. This is my One Little Word for 2013. It is constantly on my mind as I strive to bloom in a variety of ways.

9. Finding a writing scholarship. Not for myself, but to donate to. Charlotte Rains Dixon and I have hatched a writing project, and we want to donate proceeds from it to a writing scholarship for young women. It’s challenging to find one, though, so if you know of a great program, will you pass along information?

10. Biking. This snow day is a nice treat, but I was just beginning to think it is time to pull out my road bike. I can’t wait to bike outside!

What’s on your mind?

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