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Buttons and the Guardian of the Hill

When I discovered last week that November 16th is Button Day, supposedly founded back in 1938 by the National Button Society (yes, there really is such an organization), I knew it was the perfect time to share this particular poem about my grandmother’s house and its surroundings. You’ll understand once you’ve read it.

As I’ve mentioned before, I don’t claim to be a poet (to see what I typically write, visit my home page). Nevertheless, despite its amateur rhyme scheme, I hope that you enjoy it.

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Are Stories of the Past Worth Preserving?

What do you do when you come across journals, letters or personal stories written decades ago by a stranger? Do you throw them away without looking at them or do you take the time to read them?

As for me, I’m innately curious. I’m excited to discover a bit about the past and what was important to the writers, so of course I take the time to read such documents.

Unexpected Stories

A year or so ago, I was pleasantly surprised whenRead More

Meaningful Moments Writing Contest Results & Insights

I firmly believe that writers flourish when supported by fellow scribes. After all, who understands the joys and challenges of writing better than other writers?

Hence, I created my first-ever Meaningful Moments Writing Contest exclusively for my email subscribers. The majority of my followers are searching for:

  • opportunities to learn and grow as a writer,
  • reach a larger audience, and/or
  • build their credibility as an established (i.e., published) writer.

For these reasons, I decided to invite each of my subscribers to submit up to two short stories about meaningful moments in their lives.Read More

6 Writing Lessons I Learned in 2018

With 2018 officially closed, I’ve analyzed what worked last year in my writing business – and what most decidedly failed. From that review, I’ve learned six writing lessons.

Although I could keep this information all to myself, I want to be transparent with you for two reasons:

First, no writer will ever truly “arrive” – there will always be new things to learn and writing that can be improved. I want you to realize that I’m writing alongside you, not above you.

Second, I’m hopeful that by sharing my insights, you will also benefit from the information. My goal has been and will continue to be to help writers succeed, not just in writing a book but in every area of their business. Make no doubt about it: If you’re writing a book that you want to sell to the public, you’re running a business.

6 Writing Lessons I Learned in 2018

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Join the Writers’ Adventure Series! Discover the Joys of Writing, Being Active, & Learning

Physical activity, discovering history, and trying new things are important to me. Yet until recently, they often conflicted with my writing schedule; time away from my desk meant that I wasn’t always meeting writing goals.

Then a friend told me about how much she is enjoying her plein air art classes. It reminded me of my college interim abroad trip to Italy, where I attempted to sketch architecture and famous statues in centuries-old plazas and courtyards (that’s another story for another day!).

Which got me to thinking. Why not Read More

The Importance of Individuality as an Author

The importance of individuality as an author is often sidelined by a host of challenges. But challenges aren’t always a bad thing.

In fact, I believe most of us enjoy a challenge every now and then, often entering into them intentionally. But if the outcome we desire doesn’t happen as quickly or exactly as we anticipate, then we tend to get frustrated and resort to our old way of doing things. Just consider all of the New Year’s resolutions made a few months ago; the majority of people have already abandoned them to return to their former habits.

We tend to be selective of our challenges, too. When we perceive the challenge to be out of our comfort zone or if we must do it alone, we tend to reject it outright, choosing instead to walk away from potential opportunities because of fear of the unknown and to avoid the risk of ridicule.

These fears extend to our writing. Often, it causes us to stifle our personalities and write in a more detached, formal manner. It also makes us selective in what we write about, selecting what we think our audience wants to read about, rather than what we feel compelled to write about.Read More

About Dalene


Dalene Bickel is an author, book coach and ghostwriter of nonfiction and historical fiction who loves to help beginning writers become established authors.

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