M.C. Easton

How Chronic Illness Made Me a Champion Worrywart

I worry about everything. Barometric pressure. Fluorescent lights. Hormones. My bedtime. You name it, I can fret over it. So move over, Muhammad Ali: I’m the Greatest! I can worry anyone into the ground. Try me. Here is a short list of things that worry me on a regular basis. Each one has knocked meContinue reading “How Chronic Illness Made Me a Champion Worrywart”

Is Your Cat a Sociopath? 6 Telltale Signs

Your precious fuzzball is a little Hannibal Lecter just waiting to happen. You know this. But you don’t care because kitties are cute. And humans are dumb. I mean, let’s compare the psychopath checklist to our favorite kitty-cats. How about we start with the features everybody knows? 1. Superficial Charm Duh. That’s why we loveContinue reading “Is Your Cat a Sociopath? 6 Telltale Signs”

Twenty Years Later, Star Trek’s DS9 Is Still the Most Feminist Show Around

I love DS9. It’s something I should be ashamed to admit. The characters type out imaginary codes at comm panels that look like decals while zipped into black jumpsuits with elastic waistbands. The only thing more overdramatic than the acting is the camerawork. And the sets are as static as most of the scenes. SceneContinue reading “Twenty Years Later, Star Trek’s DS9 Is Still the Most Feminist Show Around”

The Moral Imperative to Accept Refugees

How many of you have actually known refugees, personally? How many of you have sat beside them at a table and listened to their stories? Raise your hands. Okay, if you raised your hand, you’re free to go. Once you’ve sat across the table from a refugee and looked into their faces as they’ve toldContinue reading “The Moral Imperative to Accept Refugees”

Give Your Characters Your Darkest Secrets

In my twenties and even early thirties, I wrote characters that were vindications of myself. My protagonists were always goody two-shoes, virtue dripping off them like maple syrup off a pancake. Smugly sweet. I didn’t want to think that maybe sometimes I’m a horrible person. That maybe the wrongs that had upset me most stoodContinue reading “Give Your Characters Your Darkest Secrets”

Forgiving My Ex

From an abusive childhood to a dysfunctional first marriage, I’ve had a lot to heal from. Don’t we all. And in the many books I’ve read about healing, experts vary in their emphasis on forgiveness as part of the healing process. Some insist it’s necessary, others that it’s helpful, and a few that you canContinue reading “Forgiving My Ex”

Women Running: A Feminist History

We go back at least 2500 years, to the Heraean Games of ancient Greece–the women-only version of the Olympics held every four years and led by a committee of 16 female leaders. Or we can turn to Sparta, the most egalitarian of Greece’s city-states where young women regularly competed in footraces, and men chose wivesContinue reading “Women Running: A Feminist History”

How I Lowered My Cholesterol from 299 to 233–and How You Can, Too

In honor of National Cholesterol Awareness Month, let’s talk heart health. I found out I had high cholesterol at 12 and then, as a teen, watched both my grandparents fade from strokes and heart disease. If you don’t know your cholesterol levels, talk with your doctor to find out. If you want to lower them,Continue reading “How I Lowered My Cholesterol from 299 to 233–and How You Can, Too”

Create Nuanced Characters with a Writer’s Journal

When I was in my twenties, I wrote loads of crap. I say this with pride, not shame. Hey, I was learning. Still am. The key was that I wrote loads–and that I practiced until each piece became a tiny bit better than the last. But here was the contributing factor to the crap part:Continue reading “Create Nuanced Characters with a Writer’s Journal”

8 Ways to Beat the Block

Okay, I’ll come clean–I don’t believe in writer’s block. In my fifteen years as a writing tutor, I’ve worked with thousands of student writers, and in my experience, writer’s block is always a sign that one of two things is happening: You’re working on the wrong project. You’re working on the right project but withContinue reading “8 Ways to Beat the Block”