Tue, 03 Jul 2018 17:51:14 +0000 In 2007, Harvard Medical School conducted a study around a five-finger piano exercise. Half of the participants were told to play for two hours a day, five days and keep to the metronome's 60 beats per minute. The other half were asked to simply think about practicing the piano, holding their hands still while playing the music in their heads. Scientists then looked at the function of…

Wed, 21 Oct 2020 19:45:24 +0000 Artists and writers face a lot of rejection. People will tell you to “get over it.” They’ll say: “Who the hell cares what other people think?” I say: Don’t get over it, get into it. carolineallen.com I’ve spent my life peeling back the layers to find my authentic creative voice. As a journalist in Tokyo, London, throughout Asia, and in Seattle, I focused on giving…

Sun, 01 Jul 2018 21:09:34 +0000

Wed, 07 Nov 2018 18:06:23 +0000 When I became a book coach nearly 20 years ago, I'd actually never heard the term before. I knew about life coaches and fitness coaches, but coaching on a book? I was teaching fiction writing in a university extension program when one of the students came up to me after class. Would I work with her privately on her stories? She didn't want to have…

Sat, 29 Dec 2018 23:58:11 +0000When you're building a business, they'll often tell you to get to the "why". Why are you running this business at this time? What's driving you? What's motivating you? Why you? Why this biz? Why now? I've been a book coach for 20 years and have helped thousands of people write their stories, in workshops and as a book coach for people across the planet. I…

Thu, 03 Dec 2020 16:49:53 +0000 7 a.m. Dreams swirl around me as I roll out of bed. My dreams are a pivotal part of my creative life, informing my art, novel writing, coaching. They sink in and come out of my hands or through my voice in mysterious ways. For me, the night time is as rich as anything I do during the day. 7:45 a.m. At my desk writing…

Wed, 14 Oct 2020 02:29:10 +0000

Mon, 12 Oct 2020 21:53:46 +0000 September 8, 2020 3 p.m. I’m sitting at my desk in my home office working on a client project. Outside the window, fat dramatic of burnt orange and deep purple float on the horizon. Earlier I’d been outside filming the shift from blue sky to lavender and burnt citrus cloud cover. It looks beautiful and scary and other-worldly. I’m not overly worried. We’ve had this…

Thu, 15 Oct 2020 20:15:30 +0000 CarolineAllen.com

Mon, 11 Nov 2019 16:18:15 +0000 The Heart of the Writer Understanding your emotions on your literary journey is just as important as knowing how to write In ninth grade, one of my teachers, Mrs. Hentges, came up to me and told me that she was entering me in a statewide fiction writing contest. Only one person from each school was allowed to enter. Every participant would get to go to the…