Quick story: Years ago, I went on a writing retreat in Rhode Island. I knew one person (my friend Becky). The retreat leader, Suzanne Kingsbury, explained the method we would be using: We’d write together, then read what we wrote out loud. And then we’d give feedback on what we liked about what we heard.

My friend Paula Rizzo looks like a sweet little cat.  She’s neat and orderly and totally adorable, a petite, pretty brunette with a laugh like a bell.  But don’t be fooled. Inside that kitten facade, the girl is a pit bull.  She cut her teeth in newsrooms (which are not for the faint of heart)

The desire to go big hits people in very different ways. Some people have always seen themselves in the spotlight and won’t rest until they are on the set of the Today Show. But for many others it starts smaller, humbler. Like, “I should write an article and pitch it as a guest blog,” or