When I met Janna I thought I’d found a kindred spirit, but what I really found was a lesson in red flags I never knew about.

Adult friendship is challenging and recently I’ve shrunk my circle, as many of us have since the pandemic. We’ve started to become more aware of where we want to spend our energy. We want people in our friendship group we can really rely on and trust. But it’s often easier said than done.

I’ve had many friends who initially seemed great. I connected with them on a deep level, enjoyed their company, and believed…

Hi IW writers and readers!

A few months ago I asked my coeditor Ash Jurberg to help me deliver something really valuable. I spent 11 years of my writing career with no peer support — just editors — but as I’ve learnt in the last year of writing, everything is better with support.

The writing groups and friends I’ve met here on Medium are incredibly special to me. I’m now part of four Slack groups where I’ve grown and learnt so much. My writing has had a huge boost, and I talk with my writing friends almost daily. …

I stared up at the rock face, my new husband holding a rope in one hand, heavy electric guitar case in the other.

“How on earth are you going to climb that?” I asked.

“With one hand.” Of course. I’m still learning how crazy brave my husband is. While the rest of us struggled our way up the muddy crevasse, he launched himself, guitar and all, up the wall. If that’s not a hard rock attitude, what is?

Climbing a mountain for a music video: I’m pretty sure it’s a first. Also a first was the song. …

We should write for the love of it, right? I know you’ve heard this said. Some people make it sound as if writing for money dirties up our pure art form or ruins you creatively. I felt it was time to put my 2 cents in. Or my 40 cents perhaps — that’s a better per word rate.

Writing is a valid, decently paying job. There, I’ve said it. Purists of the writing art can now go wag your finger at me in the comment’s section.

But I don’t want to leave it at that, because writing is really the…

Two years ago, a nonfiction book idea started to rattle around in my head. I hate wasting time, so before I launched into hours of writing and compiling a book, I thought I’d do some research.

I discovered that nonfiction books are quite a different beast to novels when it comes to agents and publishers.

Before you start forming chapters for your own great idea, here’s what you need to do first:

#1. Publish nonfiction

I meet a lot of brand new writers who launch straight into book-length nonfiction. It’s brave and I’m not saying it’s always the wrong thing to do.

Because…

Tonight I added it up. Between this account and my pen name, I’ve now written over 150 stories for PS I Love You. When I sent in my first story, I never expected this publication to help change my life in so many ways.

As a writer, you never know who you’ll have an impact on with your words. We’re the showy front-of-house entertainers; the ones who get the claps and comments. Editors — they have the quiet job in the back: making an impact on the lives of writers. So here’s my standing ovation for them.

The world is watching

In 2018, here…

“Can’t we just elope?” I asked my fiance. “Weddings are so stressful.”

We sat side by side on the couch trying to make decisions on venues, guest lists, food…I could feel the squeeze of an invisible band around my chest, shortening my breaths and making me feel dizzy.

This wasn’t my first wedding and the stress of the last one had turned my immune system against me and sent me to the emergency room.

“It’s okay, Kelly,” my fiance reassured me. “Everything will be fine.”

At that time he had no idea our May wedding date would fall right in…

Family life after divorce isn’t the family life I imagined when I had kids. It’s this crazy train station with schedules; it’s arrivals and departures. I make an effort to smile every Friday, when my girls head off with their dad. “You’ll have such a fun weekend,” I say. Most weeks they agree and bounce out the door. The merry-go-round of home life feels exciting for them those weeks — dad’s house is fun; there are bunnies, building projects, adventures with friends at the beach. Things have changed.

But then my teenager will cry. Somedays she just wants me. The…