(Such as facing an uncomfortable truth about thy self…or thy strategy) “’Tis healthy to be sick sometimes.” ~ Henry David Thoreau Indeed. But healthy or not, being sick still sucks. In early September I went to Cancun, Mexico for a friend’s wedding and two days into my trip, I caught…

“Flying starts from the ground. The more grounded you are, the higher you fly.” – R. Rim What was your very first car? Mine was a dark blue Chevette. I loved that car! For the gear shift handle, there was an old faded red pool ball. It impressed my teenage…

(first posted Apr 2017) “Be truthful, one would say, and the result is bound to be amazingly interesting.” ― Virginia Woolf, “A Room of One’s Own” Or…rather confusing for all concerned. Picture, if you will, a boardroom table… Six strangers are sitting around said table: a playwright, a dramaturg and…

“The first step in crafting the life you want is to get rid of everything you don’t.” ― Joshua Becker What do eyebrows have to do with a play script…and more importantly, what do they have to do with you? I was looking in the mirror the other day and…

“What one thing could do in your personal and professional life that, if you did on a regular basis, would make a tremendous positive difference in your life?” – Stephen Covey, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” Are you making time in your day to get your most important…

This an in-depth interview with yours truly by playwright, director & blogger, James Hutchison (published Jan 14th, 2019): JAMES HUTCHISON: You’ve wanted to be a writer for a long time? MARYANNE POPE: Oh yeah, I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was seven. I think that was probably when…

Well, it was Munro’s the magic bookstore to the rescue again. I cannot tell you the number of times I have gone into my favourite bookstore, Munro’s (in Victoria, British Columbia), and come across a book I had never heard of before but knew, without a doubt, it was exactly…

“For long-haul creativity, nothing is more important than momentum.” – Steven Kotler, “The Art of Impossible” For pretty much anything worth achieving, nothing is more important than momentum. Question is… How do we gain momentum and how do we sustain it? Regardless of the type of project we may be…

“Do with your Self whatever it is you want to do. You can trust your Self.” – Glennon Doyle, “Untamed” Have you ever seen the movie, “Napoleon Dynamite?” I finally saw it for the first time a few weeks ago…and am still laughing when I think back to some of…