Surviving Exam Season!

You are a student, you are stressed, and you feel the pressure put on my teachers, parents, and worse – yourself. It’s too much! It really is. Stop and take a breath. Give yourself a little credit. You are more than one exam, one grade, or one day in your life. Do the work you need to do, then get a really good night of sleep. And remember these basic truths! Education is a journey, not a race. It doesn’t matter how long it takes to get there, just that you keep going. Even if you fail, there’s summer school! No grade is worth your life, your health, or your sanity. Take it one test, one day, one hour at…Read More

How to Handle Being Replaced or Overlooked on the Job

There are always going to be times in our lives when we lose a role on a team, a part in a play, or are replaced by new fresh blood—either at school, work, or at home. This is never an easy experience. It is an experience that can make you feel too old, too young, too inexperienced, inadequate, threatened, embarrassed, and even fearful of becoming irrelevant (and therefore you will lose your job, your partner will dump you, your children will abandon you, and you’ll become homeless and die alone). Yes, there are some who take it all the way to the bitter end. I don’t wish this on anyone. All those emotions are uncomfortable. And I know personally, I…Read More

How not to be Sucked Up by a Leadership Vacuum!

Phew! Take a breath. I just picked a really big topic for what was meant to be a short blog! The Vacuum of Leadership What do you do when you are in a job where there is a vacuum of leadership? When your leaders are so MIA, that people don’t even show up for work and no one notices. When the shop has not been minded for so long that the shelves are empty and even the employees are starving! This is what I’m going to talk about in my first blog after my book writing absence. Take another deep breath. All right let’s get into this. Identify immediately: Is this a transitional change or just how things are done?…Read More

3 Tips for Leaving Your Job on a High

Friday was the day! My last day at Walt Disney Imagineering. It was another good one too—only the last one! After deciding to pursue my passion to write and create to full time, I put my notice into Disney earlier this month. I’ve been blessed with support and encouragement and when I drove off the lot it felt like the perfect ending to that chapter. I was relaxed and at peace. My farewells were positive. I hugged all whom I needed to hug, I thanked all I needed to thank, I wrapped up the loose ends, I prepped for the new person, and I even left them a little gift for their first day. Then I did a last round…Read More

Day One or One Day. You Decide.

We all have that thing that we put off, dream about, or push to the side and say, “one day…” What’s yours? As I write this month it is knowing that the year before me will be a time of great change—much of it transforming my life in ways I don’t even know yet. My “one day” is drawing near. Last year was my year of gratitude and it truly changed how I feel about everything. I enter this year of change with immense gratitude for all the changes I will make and need to make this year. My first big change: I resigned January 5th from my job with Walt Disney Imagineering where I designed and developed attractions and…Read More

5 Election Season Tactics

Every four years, since I can remember, elections come around and they seem to bring out the worst language, behavior, and attitudes in the American people. This election, most seem to agree, that whoever wins, the next President will not only be lacking in character and integrity, but the two contenders have been touted at the “worst two people in America”. Ouch! Well I don’t think they are the worst Americans, and I don’t think either one is going to press some red button and end the world, but still…where does that leave us? We are part of this process. We are one of the few nations with the freedom of an anonymous vote in a democratic system. We are…Read More

5 Reasons to be Thankful for Writers! Writers take us places we might never go on our own, and sometimes places no one could possibly go. Writers can give us the happy endings we need. Writers can inspire us to be better and give us dreams to which we can aspire. Writers make us think differently about our views, prejudices, and perceptions. Writers can help us escape from the worst moments in our own lives (and take us to a world where people are even more screwed!) Thank you to all my fellow writers, readers, dreamers, and schemers. Life is always better with a good book. Happy Thanksgiving! Tricia

The difference between a character's need and a character's goal.

Other writers and teachers may differ, but this how I explain it. A need is an internal, emotional driving force for a character, inherent to who they are. A goal is a short term, outward objective that drives the action, and in best of stories, is linked tightly to the character’s inner need. A character “need” is something that is part of who the character is in life – the thing that defines their purpose. Even when I study my family and friends, I can see how all their decisions are driven by that need, and through that filter. It’s not necessarily the only filter, but as an individual, there is usually a very strong one for each of us. In my last…Read More

Advice and Thoughts from a Modern Renaissance Woman.

The new cover of Vogue brings us Angelina Jolie Pitt, the internationally renown mom-actor-activist and more. Since I love recognizing creativity and hard work – and especially the efforts of women – here is a quick little blog of my five favorite Angelina quotes. Make bold choices and make mistakes. It’s all those things that add up to the person you become. I have so much in my life. I want to be of value to the world. The great thing about having a bunch of kids is they just remind you that you’re the person who takes them to go poop! That’s who you are! Life comes with many challenges. The ones that should not scare us are the ones we can take…Read More