December is almost half gone. The question of whether I’ll succeed in my deadline to complete a rough—very, very rough—draft of a novel this year remains in limbo. Will I or won’t I? I’ve done a lot of soul searching. How have I written novels in the past? How can I change my methods? MyContinue reading “Taking Stock”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Ambiguous Grief
The crows are back, with their raucous calls, dropping signs of their pecan foraging. We’ve had some rainfall, dampening the falling leaves. It’s been a beautiful autumn, as the year rounds another corner, nearing its end. This past week has been an exhausting one of minor and major upheavals, which put a temporary stop toContinue reading “Ambiguous Grief”
Winterizing
I almost let this week’s blog slide, since I had no draft prepared nor theme in my head. However this morning’s chauffeuring started me thinking and composing. Unfortunately, I lose half of what I think if unable to get it down on paper. Let that be my excuse for a very brief post. As anContinue reading “Winterizing”
Making connections
I’m still slowly reading Cloud Cuckoo Land. Some books are made to be gulped down, but Doerr’s multiple characters span centuries and the globe, and they require slow savoring. I’m nearly to the end, where everything is cohering beautifully. This has been a week of meetings and emergencies. (Only one emergency but its ramifications madeContinue reading “Making connections”
Lost and found
was my forward writing momentum, temporarily regained by setting a timer for 12 minutes and writing nonstop. That worked for two days, and then distractions intruded. Keeping it simple—So now I’m back, aiming for two timed writing sessions a day. After all, what’s 12 minutes (or twice 12-minutes) in the whole scheme of things? ButContinue reading “Lost and found”
Weeding
Weeding—to a librarian—means clearing the shelves of battered, or sometimes unread, books to make space for new materials. Weeding—to a gardener—means clearing out unwanted plants to make space for wanted ones. I kept eyeing a plot in our front yard, wanting to go out, clear out the “weeds”, amend the soil, and plant something thatContinue reading “Weeding”
Switching Gears to Poetry
One day this past week, I was feeling particularly tired. Instead of pushing against that fatigue, I allowed myself to do whatever appealed. One thing I did was pick up my battered copy of T. S. Eliot’s Four Quartets. I’ve read it more than once, usually at bedtime, always silently. I love his flow ofContinue reading “Switching Gears to Poetry”
Progressing
Writing, for me, is trying new things, and learning what works‚ again and again. I’m on my umpteenth iteration of figuring out how to produce new words for this latest effort. For the last few weeks, I’ve been claiming a quiet hour midday. That worked fine for revising, but when I put on my writingContinue reading “Progressing”
Boredom
I want to talk about the virtues of boredom—or what to do while waiting at the dentist’s office for my husband’s teeth cleaning. I do keep mentioning that I want to complete the Pawn Quest trilogy—and I’ve set a deadline to finish the first draft by the end of the year. I brought some notesContinue reading “Boredom”
On taking a break
I’ve been on break for the last two weeks. A staycation. Actually, I broke from one thing only: my struggle with a plot that wouldn’t cooperate. Since I stopped fighting it, I had nothing to run from. That freed my mind and my eyes. I could see what was around me. Piles of paper toContinue reading “On taking a break”
Kate Harrington 