Can I tell you what I want? I want to stop wanting things I can’t have. I want to stop falling for jerks I don’t need. And I want to stop feeling like an f/ing gooey butter cake somebody left out in the rain. Kate Klise More Quotes by Kate Klise More Quotes From Kate Klise Many adult book authors supplement their income by teaching at the college level. Full-time professors fare well, but pay for adjunct professors is notoriously shabby. Children's book authors have a sweeter deal. We're invited by schools, libraries, law firms, and Fortune 500 companies to share our best writing tips and strategies. Kate Klise best law book children Writing for children isn't easy. Kids will abandon a story that doesn't interest, enchant, delight, thrill, or terrify them. But when you can find a way into a young reader's imagination through something as simple as words on paper, well, there's nothing more satisfying. Kate Klise you imagination simple children Every writer dreams of having a backyard cottage, similar to Dahl's 'writing hut.' English cottages and charming huts might seem out of reach, but a good carpenter could build a modest cottage on the cheap. Kate Klise reach dreams good writing I like to take writing retreats within a day's drive of home. Less travel time means more time for writing, which is the name of the game here. Kate Klise day home time travel One of the best essays I've seen in recent years was by a young woman who wrote about how being chosen to choreograph a high school musical forced her to assume a leadership role she wasn't sure she was ready for - but of course she was. Kate Klise woman best leadership school The tagline at Westin hotels is that they strive to surprise and delight their guests. This is exactly what a college essay should do. Kate Klise essay strive surprise college When I lead essay workshops, I ask students to come up with at least five topics, which they'll narrow down to one. The winning idea should be the story the student is most excited to tell because it honestly reflects his or her best self. Kate Klise down best self winning The smartest thing I ever did as a writer was hire a retired conservation agent to blaze a hiking trail for me. It's nothing fancy - just a narrow path that meanders for a little over a mile through the woods near my home. But that trail through the trees has become my therapist, my personal trainer, and my best editor. Kate Klise best me path home I'm so convinced that hiking helps my writing that I recently decided to offer a series of hiking-writing workshops to see if others had the same experience. Kate Klise others see experience writing Recent studies have shown that our creativity is increased by 60% when we're walking. I encourage my workshop participants to write at their desks but think on their feet. Kate Klise think creativity feet walking As writers, we must keep throwing problems at our characters. Conflict is the heart of good storytelling. Hiking in nature along a twisting trail can remind us what a good story feels like. It's the opposite of a treadmill - or an interstate highway. Kate Klise problems good nature heart For years, friends in Springfield, Missouri, have remarked on the physical resemblance between Brad Pitt and his only brother, Doug. But the two share a deeper similarity: their commitment to charitable causes. Kate Klise friends brother two commitment