Ann Kroeker, Writing Coach

Show Notes Summary: One of my daughters has always been a playful, creative inventor, looking for ways to add tangible fun to her days. Once, she dragged a plastic bottle and paper towel tube from the recycling bin, grabbed a handful of rubber bands and duct-taped everything together to make a ukulele. It didn't play, but she sure had fun trying. Years later she applied this playful mindset to her part-time job at a dog kennel. The dogs would yap and bound playfully, but she invented even more fun by playing games such as trying to beat a self-imposed time limit while washing dog bowls or hosing down crates. She's discovering what research is indicating: work does not preclude play. Play energizes our work. And playful writers energize their work with fun In a 2009 TED talk, Dr. Stuart Brown claims play is more than fun—it's vital for adults. "Nothing lights up the brain like play." Jessica Walsh writes in a Good Magazine article that play is vital for brain growth. And she says several conditions are