Write Now Coach! Blog by Rochelle Melander

by Rochelle Melander There’s more than one way to look at a blank page. Gaston Bachelard wrote: A word is a bud attempting to become a twig. How can one not dream while writing? It is the pen which dreams. The blank page gives the right to dream. G.K. Chesterton... Read More

21 Jul 2026

Writing in Crisis

The Courage to Ask: How Getting Help Transformed Helen Keller’s Life

by Rochelle Melander We imagine that writing and making art is easy. Sometimes it is. An idea hits us and we execute it with ease. But that’s very rare. In fact, making art can be hard. In his book, Several short sentences about writing, Verlyn Klinkenborg writes, “It’s hard work,... Read More

14 Jul 2026

Game Changer

The Game Changer: Gather Ideas Like A Pro

The Writer’s Guide to Collecting, Generating, Recording, and Developing New Ideas by Rochelle Melander Everybody walks past a thousand story ideas every day. The good writers are the ones who see five or six of them. Most people don’t see any. – Orson Scott Card Ever get that flash of... Read More

07 Jul 2026

Author Interviews

Writing by Hand

An Interview with Poet Michele Wolf by Rochelle Melander Tell our readers about your new book of poems, Peacocks on the Streets. The book’s title and my poem “Peacocks on the Streets” are based on that time during the early months of the pandemic when we were all quarantined at... Read More

30 Jun 2026

Editing

How to Start a Critique Group

by Rochelle Melander I hear many horror stories about critique groups. Writers attend a group hoping for helpful feedback and receive harsh criticism, misinformation, or personal attacks. After one or more challenging experiences like that, many writers avoid critique groups, feel anxious about getting critiqued, or give up on writing.... Read More

23 Jun 2026

Editing

Why AI Cannot be Your Critique Partner

(And How to Critique Your Own Work) by Rochelle Melander Writers have been telling me they use AI only to edit their work. They’re not just using spell check or Grammarly. They’re uploading their work into Claude or ChatGPT and asking it to provide a critique or clean up the... Read More

16 Jun 2026

Game Changer

Need a Breakthrough? Clean Your House!

Game Changer #3 by Rochelle Melander “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” That saying, attributed to both Knute Rockne and Joseph P. Kennedy, was used in a hit song by Billy Ocean. It perfectly captures the American work ethic: work hard. While it may seem like a... Read More

09 Jun 2026

Game Changer

How Connecting to Your Purpose Can Transform YOU and Your Writing

by Rochelle Melander When the world is in crisis—it’s important to get connected to your why. Twice a week, Heather Cox Richardson, closes her Politics Chat by encouraging people to find their purpose and act. Often, she recommends that people make art. Today, writers are taking to their blogs, YouTube,... Read More