You put your words out there, hoping people will read them. And enjoy them.

An enjoyable read, in my opinion, contains the following. Now, there are probably a few other things a writer might add, but here’s a fairly comprehensive list for our purposes.

a) A good headline (I wrote a short-form piece on that)
b) A good opener (Like a story that draws in readers. A hook!)
c) Accurate spelling
d) Proper punctuation
e) Perfect grammar (yes, I do mean ‘perfect’)
f) Easy-to-read layout

If you submit your writing to publications on Medium, you know that an editor reviews…

I made black bean brownies once and they were so moist and delicious.

Over a decade ago, my book group selected The Omnivore’s Dilemma as the monthly read. Early in the heavy tome (aka doorstop), Michael Pollan explained the chemical makeup of corn. Chemistry? In a book group? Lord, I found the reading torturous. And, no, I didn’t finish it! I wasn’t ready, I suppose.

But that corn story made an impression on me. Mainly because I already disliked corn. Well, the canned or frozen kind in particular. Living in the South, a girl’s gotta love her some Silver Queen corn on the cob. It’s like veggie-candy.

Corn is an ingredient in many…

According to Cynthia Thurlow, women over the age of 50 gain an average of 1.5 pounds per year. Indeed. She advocates the intermittent fasting lifestyle to her female patients. Better than any other “diet” as she says, it’s free, flexible, and simple.

I’ve written twice recently about my JumpStart journeys with Kimberley Payne — including using a food logging app and improving my mental and spiritual health. Now, I’m finishing my third week of Intermittent Fasting. The group challenge lasted for two weeks, but I’m continuing with this eating format.

Also known as the Eating Window, intermittent fasting prescribes a…