WORDS FROM THE WRITING CAVE: What Keeps Me Writing in a World Gone Wild
By Barbara Neal Varma // “Hi, my name is Barbara and I’m a tea-aholic.” It’s true. While others covet their coffee and wine bars, I have a hot tea habit Continue reading
Category: Motivation
How to Leave Readers Wanting More with Your Amazon Ad Copy
By Robert Scanlon from Amazon Ad School // How on earth can you persuade a potential reader to part with their hard-earned cash, when you only have 150 characters available? Continue reading
WORDS FROM THE WRITING CAVE: Now You’re Cooking
By Barbara Neal Varma // Several Christmases ago, my true love gave me cooking lessons, after which I quickly looked under the tree for a new vacuum, too, LOL. My Continue reading
Are You Still Connecting with Other O.C. Writers?
Hey, writers — In these unusual times, it’s easy to feel disconnected from our writing tribe. If you’re feeling a bit adrift, one way to keep in touch is to Continue reading
WORDS FROM THE WRITING CAVE: Retired Yet Thankful to Be Working Again
By Barbara Neal Varma // I recently retired after 30 years of government service to pursue my writing dream. No pressure. I say that because for years I’d been the Continue reading
WORDS FROM THE WRITING CAVE: The Tell-Tale Slippers
By Barbara Neal Varma // The first “stranger thing” happened a few hours before midnight. Michael and I were in Santa Barbara for a getaway weekend. The grand plan: forget Continue reading
WORDS FROM THE WRITING CAVE: Putting It In Writing: Dear Santa
By Barbara Neal Varma // It’s hot and humid outside, and I’m thinking of Christmas. Because I need to set my sights on a cooler, calmer time. A time filled Continue reading
WORDS FROM THE WRITING CAVE: How Walt Disney and Tom Hanks Helped Me Become a Better Writer
By Barbara Neal Varma // Every morning I drag myself out of bed, stretch to make sure everything still works, and say a little prayer. Let this be a good Continue reading
WORDS FROM THE WRITING CAVE: Writing Amid a Pandemic, Oh My!
By Barbara Neal Varma // News flash: The coronavirus has spread to our writing. Books, blogs, magazine articles, you name it; today’s written words have caught the COVID-19 bug as Continue reading
WORDS FROM THE WRITING CAVE: Finding Refuge in the Routine
EDITOR’S NOTE: Today we’re introducing Barbara Neal Varma to the O.C. Writers’ Leadership Team. Beginning today, she’ll share her fun-at-heart reflections on living the writing life in Orange County in Continue reading