Authors are often asked when they write, what rituals they follow and so on. We all vary in our approach. The following is my general attack on daily writing. 4:45 Get dressed, turn on the computer, get a large cup of hot tea and check my emails. 5:30 Open my current project and start where I left off yesterday. 7:00 Fix a quick breakfast and return to the computer. 11:00 Take a break (file materials, decide what’s for dinner, make phone calls) 11:30 Back to the computer! 12:30 Eat lunch and prepare to work in classrooms, do laundry, work around...
The other day I had a drop-in book event at the Edmonds Bookshop. During quiet moments, I looked around, watching people browse the array of books this gem of a bookshop stocks. It made me wonder why they browse/select/buy/read certain genres. I made a quick list and came up with this random collection of generic ideas: 1. It’s fun, informative or both. 2. It takes you to worlds you’ might never visit otherwise. 3. You are led to see images in new ways. 4. It’s often relaxing. 5. It opens you to new perspectives. 6. You meet interesting story characters...
Chapter ONE Lynne stormed into the women’s dressing room and threw her ballet slippers into her locker. “That woman! She never stops yelling at me!” “Maybe you deserve it. I mean, you’re late a lot and…” Lynne swung around. “Mind your own business, Suzette.” “I’m just trying to be helpful.” “Back off, Suzette!” Lynne glared at Suzette’s saccharine smile. “You couldn’t help an old lady open a cereal box.” The dressing room fell silent. The first year as well as the seasoned dancers watched the two women elevate their dislike to the level of a...
Writers never stop looking for ways to improve their writing. One such way is conferences. Our local conference, Write on the Sound, is a perfect place to gain ideas and techniques while meeting with fellow writers. And, as good fortune would have it, we had a perfect weekend of weather, classes, and vistas from the Plaza Room at Edmond’s Francis Anderson Center (formerly the place where I began my teaching career half a century ago). Ouch. that sounds ancient; maybe it is! The conference strictly showcases writers as presenters with no agents or publishers making presentations. Listening to fellow writers...
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