It has been an interesting week. I could share all the details, but trust on me on this: It has been an interesting week. Now “interesting” is a vague word, I know. Do I mean interesting-bad or interesting-good? Well, yes. Yes, I do. One of the interesting events of the week was getting this blog up and running again. For …
In Others’ Words: Fairy Tales
As a little girl, I read fairy tales. I enjoyed Walt Disney’s animated version of Cinderella and Snow White and Sleeping Beauty too … and even embraced the updated version of Beauty and the Beast and Rapunzel. (Tangled? Loved it and laughed through it.) So maybe it’s no surprise fairy tales show up in my second novel, Catch a Falling …
In Others’ Words: Answers
Remember when you were in school and sometimes — oh, happy day! — the answers to the math problems were in the back of the textbook? Of course, copying the answers was cheating. And doing so didn’t help you master algebra or geometry … but you did finish your homework a lot faster. I haven’t stumbled across any book …
In Others’ Words: Forgotten
I can’t even let myself think too long of the story ideas I’ve forgotten because I didn’t write them down. They were brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Sometimes it was a story idea. Or just a scene. Or a snippet of dialogue with just the right zing. But I was already in bed, comfy under the covers, with my teeth brushed and …
In Others’ Words: Second (Novel, That Is)
“It wasn’t that she didn’t have a satisfying life–an exciting life, even. It’s just that at thirty-six years old, she’d hoped for . . . more.” Kendall Haynes in Catch a Falling Star There are many stages to writing a book. The initial spark of an idea. The fast-draft. The rewrite — and all the edits after that, leading up to …
In Others’ Words: Youth
I attended a writers retreat in Monterey, CA last month. The theme? Dream Big. There was a lot to love about those three days. Just look at that first sentence again: I was at a retreat. With other writers. In Monterey. But the encouragement, the time, to dream and dream big? I don’t want to forget that. And then I came …
In Others’ Words: Muscle
What does it take to be a writer? I’m really looking forward to y’all joining the conversation today. Readers, I’d love to know what you think it takes to be a writer — what kind of “muscles” need to be developed? Writers, author Natalie Goldberg says we need the “muscles” of determination, attention, curiosity, and a passionate heart. What do …
In Others’ Words: Glass
I knew what today’s post was going to be about last Friday. I thought about the whole “glass half full” versus “glass half empty” mindset all weekend long. Me? I used to be a “glass half empty” gal. Somedays I wasn’t even sure there was even more than a drop of water in the glass. Two things changed my perspective: …
In Others’ Words: Nonsense
Sometimes I have to remind myself to have fun. Relax. Stop being so, so serious. Yes, there are deadlines to be met. Children to raise. Problems to be solved. (Insert yours here: ____________.) But there has to be time for laughter. Nonsense. A little bit of “what if” and “why not.” All the “shoulds” waiting for your time and attention? …
In Others’ Words: Author Whispers
Writers try to get so many things right. We try to figure out when to follow the rules — and when to ignore ’em. We try to make our fictional characters true to life so that readers talk out loud to them as they turn the pages of our novels. (Come on, admit it! You’ve done it too!) We try …