It, as well as anxiety, used to be poison to my soul that bled into the rest of my life. It used to be a monster that I couldn’t fight, a storm from which there was no shelter. It rendered me powerless and left me with no other option but to wait it out.

Not anymore.

I still experience depression and anxiety just as frequently and fiercely as before. But instead of ruling over my life, it is now something I successfully manage in a balanced and healthy way.

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You’re driving down the road, or taking a shower, or going for a walk, or eating lunch, and BAM! That great story idea comes flooding to mind.

The very next time you sit down to write, you grasp for that story idea — but it’s gone.

You finally have a few minutes of free time to write, but now those ideas just won’t come.

You could make an attempt to recapture it by going for a walk. Taking another shower. Going for a drive. But then the rare bit of extra time you have available right now will go to waste.

Here are a few ways to get your mind in creative gear and successfully snag some great potential story ideas.

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It was Wesley’s first day of first grade. He insisted on riding the bus, and couldn’t have been more excited when the big yellow bus pulled into the neighborhood. It was a strange feeling to watch my six-year-old boy climb the steps, turn and wave, then be driven away to fend for himself at a school he’d never attended before.

I was grateful for a group of friends who invited me to a “Woo Hoo” breakfast that morning — other moms whose kids were beginning their first day of the new school year. It was a good distraction from the tears that threatened to spill over. I walked into the restaurant and sat down at a large table near the door where six of us moms held multiple conversations at once, understanding each other perfectly. Caleb wiggled in his chair next to me chowing down on a pancake while I sipped my second cup of coffee.

That’s when I spotted them. In the booth next to us was a retired-aged couple glancing around the room. The wife watched our table carefully, scanning each person present, then stood and walked out the door. She returned with a handful of small gift boxes. She set one down next to each child, then quietly returned to her seat. read more…

It’s the only way I could possibly manage a professional writing schedule and also be a stay-at-home mom.

My boys, ages 6 and 3 now, have always been early risers, normally sleeping no later than 6:30 (7 on the rare occasion). They often come drifting out of their room with the most incredible bedhead, rubbing their precious sleepy eyes, between 5:30 and 6.

Writing at night just wasn’t an option. My brain doesn’t work past 9 p.m. And when my husband settles down after dinner to watch a movie or to show me funny videos, I certainly don’t want to choose work over time with him.

I like mornings, in general. I like having a more productive day. I like being able to maintain a professional writing schedule. But that still doesn’t make 4:30 a.m. any more pleasant.

It does, however, help me read more …