I’ve always been rather low-key when dealing with holidays. For instance, in the winter, I prefer the soft warm glow of a Christmas Eve luminaria display over a month of electric glare. But I didn’t expect the whammy that this year brought—even before Thanksgiving. Last year, my loss was fresh, still front-and-center in my attention.Continue reading “Second Year Blues”
Tag Archives: writing
After a Long Silence
It has been a beautiful fall, with trees holding their leaves. We had several near or at freezing nights and finally, yesterday morning, a harder freeze. True to their nature, the mulberry trees began their drip drip drip of big leaves piling up beneath trees and on nearby sidewalks. Walking Sophie, I had to leadContinue reading “After a Long Silence”
DIY Deadlines
I envy people with editors and publishers and deadlines. This DIY business of writing lacks a certain kick-in-the-pants to facilitate inspiration. A writer can get too close to her writings. Somehow this week I’ve achieved a more distant view. So what went before to bring that about? First: A response from my copy-editor who returnedContinue reading “DIY Deadlines”
Remnants of a cruise—Exercise
I used to swim once a week. That was back before COVID. At some point, I always felt cold. For a time, I toyed with the idea of swimming in a nice warm therapy pool, but never acted on it. Anyway, I haven’t swum in years. The thought of it turned me cold. But exerciseContinue reading “Remnants of a cruise—Exercise”
Wrestling with the Sun
I did enjoy those few days after my initial Covid miseries, having cancelled appointments and commitments. I felt like my time was my own to be lazy in. Consequently, I dug deeply into my revision work , and also began a new project. When I mow the lawn, a different kind of grass appears hereContinue reading “Wrestling with the Sun”
Give me a break!
Here I am, back to my blog—a week later than planned. It was hard to dig myself out of the house, but I also welcomed the chance to get away. A writer can only do so much before needing to refresh one’s creative spark. Flying out on the first leg of my journey to visit myContinue reading “Give me a break!”
Timing is Everything
Hooray for Deadlines Anticipating change is hard work. These last weeks I’ve spent more time throwing stones at what needed to be done than actually attacking the jobs. And after that “struggle”, I would settle down with something escapist so as not to think about the work. Or else, I did something entirely different, likeContinue reading “Timing is Everything”
Second thoughts
Low moods, indecision, lack of forward momentum—everything seems to have me down-in-the-mouth this month. As my father pointed out once, there’s always more than one cause for any emotion. June carries a lot of baggage: anniversary, birthday, annual vacation planning, a recent memorial service for someone we both knew, a departing minister and on andContinue reading “Second thoughts”
It takes enthusiasm.
I’m trying to remember how all this began. A framed photo fell behind my desk (my immovable desk) over a year ago. Other than attempting to rescue it without moving the desk, I did nothing. It was too much effort. In my last blog, I mentioned the chart to track Quantum Quest’s themes and characters.Continue reading “It takes enthusiasm.”
Continuing Education
I’ve taken too few classes in recent years, but last night I attended a Zoom session (through SCBWI) taught by Caroline Leech on “Tell Your Story to Sell Your Story.” She spoke of the different audiences one might address, and how we adapt our back stories to suit our audience, whether children, parents, or agentsContinue reading “Continuing Education”
Kate Harrington 