After years of hosting retreats for writers, here’s how I’ve pulled together my most recent writing retreat — and the secrets I’ve learned to push through the challenges. — I’m writing this piece as quickly as possible, even if that means it’s filled with typos and grammatical errors and phrases I could make that much better. Why? Because I want you to know — and even feel — the sense of urgency I have for the Write To Heal…

Write your way to wellness with award-winning writer and memoir coach Christine Wolf. Enjoy 5 days and 4 nights in Carefree, Arizona, May 9–13, 2023. Early Bird Registration closes March 31st. — The Write To Heal Retreat May 9–13, 2023 Civana Wellness Resort & Spa Carefree, Arizona Early Bird Registration Closes 3/31/23 Maybe you’ve been holding on to memories you don’t even know how to begin to process. Maybe you’ve been pushing through your days, wondering how to break through this frantic…

As a memoir coach, I get lots of questions (and I LOVE them!). My goal is to empower writers, so here are the most common questions I get — as well as my honest responses. — As a memoir coach, clients regularly ask me questions like, “How do I even get started?” and “How do I work through the overwhelm of so much material?” and “How do I manage all the various bits of writing I’ve amassed through the years?” and “How do I string everything…

Last night I went out for pizza at UNION, a fantastic restaurant in my town of Evanston, Illinois. It’s known for bringing the community together. There was an outdoor concert in full swing nearby, so finding a seat in the beer garden was pretty hard to do. A woman apparently…

Advertising or journalism? I had to pick a college major. My folks nudged me toward “job stability”. I took their advice, became an ad exec, then hated my choice. But then…well…woah… — As a sophomore at the University of Illinois in the 1990s, I was at a crossroads. I’d been accepted into the University’s (then-named) College of Communications and had to declare a major. Would it be advertising or journalism?

A recap of the first-ever, virtual Google+ Hangout from the White House on January 30, 2012. — Here’s a recap of the first-ever, virtual Google+ Hangout from the White House on January 30, 2012. I was lucky enough to have been selected to participate, and the way it all happened still amazes me… Scroll waaaaay down to see the entire Hangout — as well as specific…

Is your loved one struggling with — or hiding — an addiction? You’re not alone. Read on with an open heart and an open mind. And remind your loved one they aren’t alone, either. — Today, August 31, 2022, is International Overdose Awareness Day, the world’s largest annual campaign to end overdose. It’s a day to remember those we’ve lost to overdose, to acknowledge the grief of the family and friends left behind, and to renew our commitment to end overdose and related harms.

I submitted a piece to a publication on Medium, and they further distributed it for syndication. I figured the exposure would only increase my earnings. Instead, someone else ended up making five times more than I earned from my own piece. So, I wrote to that publication — and (say what???) they paid me back for the money they’d made off my writing. Boom. — Note: Out of respect for the publications I speak of in this piece, I won’t mention their names, but I will tell you about the smackdown I just had with their publisher — as well as how that publisher responded. I’m sharing this experience because I never knew anything like…

Last week I learned I have a half-sister I never knew existed. How do I even begin to process this unexpected news? For now, all I can say is, thank God for writing. — For the past two weeks, I’ve been trying to process the unbelievable news. At 53 years old, I’ve just learned that I have a half-sister who is 18 months older than me. We plan to meet for the first time next month. With the rise in popularity of DNA kits…