About Margie:

I love writing, unless it’s about myself. How can you share about yourself and not seem egotistical?

Okay, I’ve got it. I’ll provide a list of my various roles, fill that square, then chat about the inner me.

I’m a counseling psychologist who’s been a college professor, workshop presenter, keynote speaker, clinical trainer, sex therapist, director of an Impotence Clinic, hypnotherapist, and writer. I hold a Master of Science degree in Counseling Psychology with an additional post-masters specialization in psychiatric counseling.

I speak at writing conferences and present Empowering Characters’ Emotions, Defeat Self-Defeating Behaviors, and The EDITS System and Deep Editing in intense one and two-day workshops to writing organizations nationally.

I don’t analyze my friends, family or quirky critique group members. I just enjoy them.
Ah – the inner me. I pursue fun. Always.

I’m driven . . . and I have almost as much fun working toward goals as I do reaching my goals.

My motto: Every day, every hour, follow your map to success.

Of course, that implies that you define what success is for you, and create a map. That’s what Defeat Self-Defeating Behaviors is about. Analyze. Learn. Map. Do . . . and Celebrate.

I love being creative in all areas. I love being silly, too.

I’m fascinated with the psychology of writing. I have the best time unraveling and weaving to understand the psychological nuances of writing craft.

I’m a ham. I like to energize groups when presenting workshops. I energize them, they energize me. My brain cells are zapping. I’m happy.

Conversely, I can be joyously content spending days writing, clamoring around inside my characters’ heads. Strategizing how to empower emotion, pick up pace or surprise the reader.
I cherish being close to my family. My husband, friend and the best small plane pilot in the world. My audio engineer son, and actress daughter, both of whom live creativity, honor friends and family and make me proud.

I’ll wrap this section with a typical category -- my hobbies. Reading. Hiking in Colorado. Camping (with a shower). Traveling anywhere. Flying anywhere or nowhere. And my favorite hobby – collecting amazing friends.

About Writing:

I am fascinated with the emotive power of words. When a scene grabs me, I analyze it, take it apart, figure out what the author did that worked.

How can writers 'up' the emotive power of their work?  By tuning in to the nuances of their characters’ nonverbal communication.  By writing visceral emotion and body language to strengthen unconscious connections with the reader.  By editing deep.  By writing fresh.

Writers work to capture the perfect balance of dialogue, visceral emotion, body language, action, setting, internalizations, and tension for each scene.  The goal is to entrance the reader, lead them into your fictional world, and make them beg to stay.

Writing . . . you’ve got to love the challenge.

If you would like a hint of what I teach writers, visit my Deep Editing Analysis page, and read my analysis of excerpts from bestselling authors.  You can also read about my contest.  Enter the contest, and you'll be eligible to win one of my Lecture Packets.  

Ah -- my Lecture Packets.  With over 250 pages of lectures in each Lecture Packet, you'll have another challenge.   ;-)))