If you’ve been wondering why I haven’t blogged in the past two weeks, I have been too busy walking on air. I’m really not sure that the soles of my feet have touched the ground yet. After 40 days in the desert… okay more like months of tortuous silence from the “professionals” in the publishing … Read More
My husband and I finally got around to watching The Blind Side yesterday. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard people say, “Oh, you’ve GOT to see this movie!” But, because I had labeled it a sports movie, I was dragging my feet. What a mistake. The movie was everything everyone had … Read More
I have read about cultures in which the parents wait until a baby is old enough to have a bit of personality before choosing a name for it. I’ve discovered that choosing a title for a book happens in much the same way. I’ve been working on the second book in a series, and although I knew it was … Read More
Summer is here, and I have to admit — I’ve been a bit nervous about its arrival. Last year, I pretty much gave up writing for the summer. What with kids underfoot and their perpetual, “Iwantasnack! Let’sgosomewhere! Hehitme! Canwegotothepark…” I assumed I would never be able to organize my thoughts. (Reminds me of an earlier post … Read More
Last night I was deeply touched by the PBS documentary, Perilous Fight: America’s World War II in Color. Normally, I do not watch war documentaries. But the color images drew me — and the stories swept me away. Historical documentaries have recently become less about teaching facts and more about telling stories. I was entranced by narrators reading letters from soldiers and … Read More
Once again, television has brought us to a cultural standstill with the long-awaited final episode of LOST. Over the past six years, I must admit to a love/hate relationship with this show. I was fascinated by the writing and the characters, but I hated the in-your-face violence and the story that seemed to twist so … Read More
Tension headaches, tension in relationships, tense meetings, tense conversations — we all hate it. Right? Can tension be good? A tense fishing line means a good catch. I know my seldom-used sewing machine has a tension adjustment knob — I’m not sure what it does, but it must be important. Tension is not only good in story-writing — it … Read More
Today I will continue my series on Common Writing Mistakes Made by New Writers (Like me) with “Beginning with Chapter One.” If you want to catch up on the other posts (in no particular order), read Back Up the Dump Truck, Battling Backstory, Talking to Yourself, and Couch Potato Characters. Today’s common writing mistake is … Read More
Welcome back to my series: Common Mistakes Made By New Writers (Like Me). This is part four: Couch Potato Characters or Characters Who Never Move. Feel free to read back through previous posts to read about information dumps, battling backstory and characters who talk to themselves. It’s not necessary to read these posts in any particular … Read More
There will be no Friday Book Pick for this week, because I’ve been busy putting the last spit and polish on my manuscript before it heads out into the big, cruel world. Now that it’s ready to fly, I feel like taking a walk down memory lane. I hope these pictures bring you a smile or a … Read More