01. A Rose by Any Other Name is a Different Friggin Rose

Recently, Anna Murray, a good friend and kick-ass writer, wrote a series of posts about women changing their names when they marry. As part of the project, she asked friends to share their reasons for their choices. Anna’s posts are provocative and well-researched. I particularly love the one where she debunks the myth that women have always taken their husbands’ names. I highly recommend reading the whole series in one sitting.

The project got me thinking about my own choice to keep my surname.

I never considered changing my last name, especially since I married later in life, in my mid-thirties. By then, I was known in all my social and professional circles as “Colette Sartor.” Any name recognition value I’d built through the years would have gone out the window if I changed my name. And, from what I’ve heard, legally changing names is an administrative nightmare.

But really, the choice to keep my surname was more personal than that. Read more →

02. Fighting Words

I am not the easiest personality. I’m emotional and opinionated. I obsess. I’m the ultimate pessimist. I’m a self-professed, consummate grudge holder.

But I’m not someone who’s quick to anger–at least, not with anyone outside my family.

Still, certain topics get a rise out of me. Certain words are fighting words, even when I don’t want them to be. Read more →

03. Highlights: Writers’ Resources, March 2015

Every few months, I highlight some of the newest additions to my Writers’ Resources page, where I post links to articles and essays on everything from craft advice to submission and publishing advice to blogging tips.

This is the first time, however, that, as part of my roundup, I’m writing a eulogy of sorts for a resource that I adored.

In January, the amazing website, Beyond the Margins, closed its virtual doors. Read more →

04. My Unexpected Superpower

The Age of Invisibility is upon me.

I’ve been dreading it.

I thought I had time. I thought it would be years before men started walking past me and letting doors slam in my face instead of holding them open for me. Before teenagers nearly mowed me down with their skateboards because they didn’t notice me directly in their paths.

But I live in Los Angeles. And I don’t do Botox or fillers.

Apparently, that’s enough in La La Land to launch an older woman into invisibility.

Read more →