One piece of writing advice has always stayed with me. Use everything. Grief? Don’t waste it. Fury? Desperation? All our moods and experiences serve us well when we mine them for our work. I didn’t get much work done last week. Appointments occupied the first three days. On Wednesday I drove home through a windContinue reading “The Ups and Downs of a Writer”
Tag Archives: writing
Operating on Automatic
Left Brain vs Right Sometimes the thinking mind isn’t that brilliant. And maybe I depend on it a little too much. I’ve found that clearing and sorting out chaos frees up thought. A week or so ago, I got busy emptying boxes of old papers and magazines, and came across the original (like written inContinue reading “Operating on Automatic”
Bring on the new—
The end to the holidays came as a relief. Our problems never arise out of a single cause; they’re always complicated. But one of the causes of my relief was of having put too much pressure on my desire to finish a first draft—or at least an outline—for the end of the sci fi trilogyContinue reading “Bring on the new—”
On Seeing
On seeing the literal—I got used to being farsighted after the cataract surgery, except for anything up close, like fingernail care and reading and jigsaw puzzles. Finally freed to visit my optometrist, I now have progressive lenses—something new for this previously trifocal user. Some of the time the progressive lenses work well. However, the jigsawContinue reading “On Seeing”
Nesting
I feel like a woman about to give birth. This week brings me new eyes—in the form of cataract surgery. Nesting is what a pregnant woman does shortly before her baby is born. And babies change so much of one’s world and perceptions. For the surgery itself, one friend advises enjoying the light show ratherContinue reading “Nesting”
Mindful Connections
All week, I affirmed my intention to remain mindful. Success varied, but I believe it made a big difference. This morning for example. I had to leave home at 9:00, and wrote a list of four items to do first. I checked off three and thought, well, okay, good enough. Number four said “blog.” Somehow,Continue reading “Mindful Connections”
Messy Creativity
I find it reassuring to know that creativity is often messy. I have the ability to clutter anything: my desk (er, desks); my spot at the kitchen table; my bedside stand; anywhere I plant myself to solve newspaper puzzles. I created a workspace out of half of our den. The half away from the fireplace.Continue reading “Messy Creativity”
Variations on a Theme
Today’s blog is going to be a miscellany, because I haven’t come up with a topic. Gardening I’ve been watering our raised beds and containers nightly because of the hot dry days. In spite of adding “good” dirt to the raised beds, those plants seem to be suffering almost as much as last year. ThisContinue reading “Variations on a Theme”
Compost
The last two summers have been difficult ones for gardening, due to my inadequate planting medium (AKA dirt) and marauding squirrels eating my young plants. Consequently, back in March, I couldn’t bring myself to begin sprouting seeds. But the weather warmed and a tomato plant called my name at the grocery store. It needed aContinue reading “Compost”
On Masks and Villains
I loved wearing a mask during the shutdown: A chance to not think about what expression my face was wearing. A chance to not display my crooked tooth. In novel writing, villains wear masks of a different kind. The villain or antagonist, generally wants to hide less obvious flaws or desires. The villain of myContinue reading “On Masks and Villains”
Kate Harrington 