M.A. Chiappetta's Blog

What leads a person to find himself involved with criminals and facing jail time? How do we fall down that slippery slope of befriending someone, and then ending in deeper than we planned? These are the tyoes of questions that Barred Justice asks. And the answers may be a bit more uncomfortable than you might think.

Like a lot of people, author John Oliver Green finds himself in trouble with the law without quite realizing it at first. As a friend of a man who seems, from the outside, to be a...

As a person who writes and edits stories for a living, I’m always looking for books and other resources that draw on storytelling techniques to broaden my perspective of work and my world. So when I got the opportunity to read What Stories Are You Living? by Carol S. Pearson, I jumped on it.

Full disclosure here for those wondering: What Stories Are You Living? is not strictly a book on the writing process. It’s more of a self-help psychology book, designed to equip the reader to live their b...

Are you looking at your to-do list right now… and your calendar… and wondering how in the world you are going to get everything done by the end of the year?

I know I am. And if you’re like me, you’re not just thinking through your personal to-dos like holiday cards and parties. You’re also trying to juggle your business responsibilities, especially if you’re a small business owner, solopreneur, or a side-hustler — because when you’re working for yourself in some capacity, the responsibility t...

“Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray.” – Rumi

[image error]I have been thinking about this concept: that it is good to know and to pursue what we truly love. As a writer, I love writing because it is beauty in the making, taking shape as I create it. I enjoy editing because it refines what is rough and turns it into a pleasing form. I even enjoy proofreading, because it corrects tiny wrongs and allows you to see what is right more clearly...

It’s not easy keeping resolutions. Turning those goals into actual results… Well, that can be tough. But there are some things that can help.

Be specific. You’ve heard this before, because it’s true. It is much easier to aim toward something and actually take action if you’re specific about it. For writing, this might mean deciding not just to “write more,” but to write “one piece a month.” For business owners, this might mean adding one additional hour to your cold call marketing. Whatever...

This week’s post addresses how to keep yourself on task when you are not busy. Yes, this is a legitimate topic: Lots of us do better at accomplishing important tasks when we’re busy than when we have a lot of free time.

Many of us are closet procrastinators who struggle to achieve daily discipline. Yet it’s vital to master productivity habits, especially for those of us who are entrepreneurs, business owners, freelancers or authors. Failing to get our work done means lost clients, less books...

Life may be super busy for you right now. I know it is for me — and that’s a good thing in many ways. If you’re a business owner, you’ll appreciate what I’m saying. Having more projects than is completely comfortable means your business is expanding. That’s a good problem to have. But it’s still a problem, and it needs solutions.

I’ve said it before,  but time management is not my favorite thing. Don’t get me wrong. Organization is one of my happy places. But it’s a challenge to be organized...

[image error]This is what we all wish our important goals and work projects always looked like, isn’t it? Pretty…orderly… with a great title attached to it… I mean, Red Poppy Cafe is just delightful. The flowers are beautifully crafted. The grass is so green, I want to take off my shoes and walk in it. Every detail is in its perfect place. This gingerbread house is a winner in every way.

That’s what we tell ourselves our daily work should look like. And in some ways, this is true. If you’re going to ask s...

If you’re trying to accomplish anything bold in life, you have to take some risks. And sometimes, the risk is largely being willing to fall on your face and fail terrifically. It can be hard to pick yourself up and try again after an embarrassing failure, but you have to do it. Seriously. You must try again. Trying again is what helped me to create a piece of art:

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Can you believe I painted this picture? I can’t. Let me explain why.

When I was in elementary school, we did an “easy” painting p...

You already know the most obvious reasons to freelance — freedom, financial gain, and the luxury of being your own boss. But let me give you a glimpse into the secret side of freelancing and the unexpected joys that make my side gigs all worth it…and then some.

You get some cool perks, and often they’re not just free; they’re necessary to tell the story right.

This is how, for instance, I got a free stay at the luxury lakeside getaway destination, Carlton Landing. Bright stars above, peac...