About Me

I’m Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen, a writer and blogger in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Also known as The Adventurous Writer, I created six “Quips and Tips” blogs and wrote five “Quips and Tips” ebooks.

Quips and Tips for Healing and Hope is my newest blog – my mission in life is to help people live in harmony with chronic illness. Not just cope with disease, but live in harmony and accept how it changes our lives.

This blog ties in with my work as a full-time MSW (Master’s of Social Work) student at the University of British Columbia (UBC). I’m doing my practicum with the Alzheimer Society of Vancouver.

My intention is to encourage people coping with all types of illnesses to share their stories and gain insight and support from each other. I’ll share my insights from my MSW courses and practicum, as well as my experience living with ulcerative colitis, infertility, and my schizophrenic mother.

I believe living in harmony with chronic illness is better than fighting it – and I welcome your thoughts on this! I’d love to hear your opinion, whether or not you agree with me.

You probably didn’t know…

• I lived in Kenya, East Africa for three years. I taught Language Arts and Journalism at Rosslyn Academy – an American school in Nairobi.
• My degrees are in Education and Psychology from the University of Alberta.
• As a freelance writer, I’ve written for a wide range of publications, including Reader’s Digest, Woman’s Day, MSN Health, Natural Health, Spirituality & Health, and sometimes More. I also wrote monthly articles for BC Women’s Hospital in Vancouver.
• I earn a living from my “Quips and Tips” blogs and ebooks.
• I’m a full-time grad student at the University of British Columbia (UBC), in Vancouver. I’m working towards my MSW (Master’s of Social Work) – I want to get a job in a hospital or clinic, counseling patients who have been diagnosed with chronic illness.
• My husband and I can’t have kids because of azoospermia, and chose not to get fertility treatments (other than IUI, which is a simple little procedure).

And, I want to share your story! Go to How Do You Live With Chronic Disease? Stories From Survivors.

My “Quips and Tips” Blogs

Quips and Tips for Achieving Your Goals covers everything from overcoming career obstacles to making more money. Articles range from toilet training your cat to the best investments for your money. This site helps readers achieve their personal, professional, and financial goals.

Quips and Tips for Successful Writers is all about writing, editing, getting published — and blogging! There, I combine quips from famous published writers with practical writing advice. I write about everything from how to grab your reader by the throat to reasons book manuscripts are rejected.

Quips and Tips for Love and Relationships blends my two favorite topics: love and money. There, I weave finances with relationships — and all articles contain practical money and love tips for couples. My most popular article on that site is about dealing with a toxic ex-wife.

Quips and Tips for Couples Coping With Infertility — because infertility is a drag, but it doesn’t have to make us bitter, angry, or depressed. My husband and I are riding the infertility roller coaster, but it hasn’t destroyed our dreams or crushed our spirits. On that site, I write articles about getting pregnant, dealing with childlessness, and even improving sperm count.

Quips and Tips From the Working World is where you’ll find job profiles and interviews with people at work, such as private investigators, casting directors, university professors, and B & B owners. Each profile includes the best and worst parts of the job, career tips, salary expectations, and education requirements.

Quips and Tips for Giving Gifts was created to help people buy the right gift for the right occasion.

I can’t keep up with all these blogs – especially now that I’m on a temporary contract with Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver until September, when I’ll be a full-time student. So, they just exist….but they’re not growing.

And finally, I wrote five Quips and Tips ebooks, ranging from surviving pet loss to making money blogging.

To learn more about me (as if this weren’t enough!), visit The Adventurous Writer.

Want to connect with me? Use the comments section below…

Blessings,

Laurie