Author: harmamae
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Why Tour Paris? Reason No. 9: Meander in Montmartre
I was doing a blog series on Parisian landmarks to celebrate the publication of my novella, Paris in Clichés. Well, it’s six years after its publication, and I figured it’s high time to finish the series! I promised I would cover Montmartre! Previous landmarks I’ve explored are: Meander in Montmartre Back when I covered the…
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If You Make Dumb Mistakes, You Might Not Be Doomed
I used to find clips from Dave Ramsey’s show very comforting. Someone would call in with an insane amount of debt, maybe after making several poor decisions. And after questioning how they got into the situation, Dave Ramsey would always have a path forward – “rice and beans, beans and rice” – that made it…
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Why Tour Paris? Reason No. 8: Modernism at Musée D’Orsay
I was doing a blog series on Parisian landmarks to celebrate the publication of my novella, Paris in Clichés. Well, it’s six years after its publication, and I figured it was time to revisit another landmark. Previous landmarks I’ve explored are: Modernism at Musée D’Orsay Everyone knows about the Louvre museum in Paris, maybe even…
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Tiny Experiments vs Setting Goals
I’m not sure why the idea of “setting goals” always felt awful to me. Maybe because it implies there’s something wrong with where I am. Maybe because the thought of working towards one thing feels stifling. It feels so wrong in our modern world to not enjoy the idea of goals, when all the world…
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Looking Back: My Most Popular Blog Posts in 2025
I haven’t updated my blog in a while – I didn’t make a post once in 2025! And I have some excuses… while I have been busy, I’ve also been writing a bit elsewhere. And I’ve had some big personal changes since I last posted too, including getting married and having a baby. But my…
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What’s the Point of Blogging? (in 2024)
I experienced the height of the blog, back when everyone had their own personal blog and some people were making a six-figure income from it. If someone went on a trip, they might create a blog to share pictures. People created blogs to document their baby growing up, or their home renovation progress, or whatever.…
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Why Writers Should Exercise: Cycling in Order to Write
I just got back from cycling to an appointment. The strangest thing is how good it can feel to rush through the cool air while exerting to get some place… for some reason, exertion to get anywhere doesn’t sound like fun. If I just sit back and think about it, I’d rather drive and let…
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Why “Just Do It” is Terrible Advice AND the Best Advice You Can Give
There’s a self-help book called Girl, Wash Your Face, that I haven’t read. But the title says it all, doesn’t it—just take that step. Get to work! Do something! When I say it to myself (even thought I haven’t read the book), I’m telling myself to get on with my day, to get moving. Or…
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Why Aren’t There More Novels Set in Montreal?
I’ve never read a book set in Montreal. There’s many books set in Montreal. There’s movies set in Montreal. I just can’t think of any. I haven’t heard anyone recommend any, or read any myself. This is in contrast to that other famous French city, Paris. Sometimes I just go to the library and search…
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Freedom to Fail
An updated version of this post has been published at the Reformed Perspective magazine! It’s been a long time since I shared a “Quotables” post. But I came across a quote this week that reminded me of another quotable I wrote on years ago, about failure. That old post was about the incisive power of…
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