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Sonnet Treasures from the Past

musings / new works / Sonnets for Ambrosia

Sonnet Treasures from the Past

Cleaning can lead to unforseen treasures. Several years ago, tucked away in my hope chest, I found a small cloth-covered book inherited through my father. The battered book had loose pages, long broken away from their binding. Inside I found beautiful, script-written sonnets and love poems written by Herman Young,my grandfather. Herman died decades before my birth. I don’t remember seeing his photo or hearing anyone talk about his personality. I always assumed the Augustana Luthern minister to be a tight-lipped father of 5 who kept busy with parishioners. I pictured him in profile, quiet and serious; probably sporting a...

K.I.S.S.

musings

K.I.S.S.

Recently, as I read research, I heard the hummingbirds outside the open door. The whir of wings moved closer. A Rufuous flew in the door and flew straight to the photo of another rufous hovering beside a northwest wildflower. The frenzy of flapping wings was a blur of brown. The hummer turned and flew out the door. It felt surreal. That simple, that fast. Writing needs to be that direct. Embellishments must move the story forward rather than slow it down with details that stir up a dust storm of confusion. Hum away. Keep It Simple Sweety! Pat yourself on...

Practice Makes Perfect (revisiting a earlier post)

84 Ribbons

Practice Makes Perfect (revisiting a earlier post)

When I wrote this in early 2010, these were my favorite books for writers. Since they remain the same, I’m sharing the post again. Enjoy! I am not one for practicing random writing. Occasionally it does seem like the only way I can get words to paper, but, most of the time, I write within a story that plays into a novel-length work. When I do practice for practice sake, I have two favorite books. Word Painting: A Guide to Writing More Descriptively by Rebecca McClanahan suggests exercises that allow me to use my own writing. My favorites include keeping...

Vacation? What’s a Vacation?

Uncategorized

Vacation? What’s a Vacation?

Writers never go on vacation; not when the world is filled with experiences that inspire new thoughts, sensory adventures or new characters in future stories. Travel, vacations and community events provide food for writers’ souls and fingertips. Be bold.     Jump in.     Even at home you’ll find adventures. Experience a new coffee shop or visit a different park. Walk down a new-to-you street or visit a new shop. Attend a theatre in the park or an open-air market. Try a new food you find in an ethnic market. Take a class in art, woodworking, drama, or bee keeping. Attend a parade,...

Impressions Notebook

details in writing / musings / new works / writer reminders / writing

Impressions Notebook

Summer time, winter time, all year ’round. It’s always a great to write down your impressions as you experience them. It’s almost too simple, so give it a try! 1. Keep a small  Impressions Notebook in your pocket and jot down what you see and feel at various moments in your day and across the year. 2. Record the weather: sky conditions and colors,the temp, the way you feel looking  around you or what you feel when you step out into the weather. 3. Outside, touch objects to record their impressive temperature. A chair in the sun feels different from...

Characters Must Grow and Change

details in writing / musings / quotes

Characters Must Grow and Change

Characters are the focus of most novels. Here are two examples from well known authors that demonstrate important pats-on-the-back to characters that engage readers. (1) Show what’s “on the line” in the character’s lives including risks, obstacles and needs for change. In Distant Shore, Kristin Hannah wrote: In those days he’d promised her the moon and the stars, vowed to love her forever. He’d meant it too. Believed in it. They hadn’t done anything wrong, either of them. They simply hadn’t understood how long forever was. (p.118) (2) Show growth across the story for secondary characters and their subplots In...

National Dance Day is Coming!!!

Challenge / Dancing

National Dance Day is Coming!!!

Turn on the music! Put on your dancing feet! National Dance Day is coming NEXT week on Saturday, July 30th. Save the last Saturday of every July for National Dance Day and join in the fun. It’s not often a TV program inspires a national event, but that is just what the program So You Think You Can Dance has done. The event launched in 2010 and is supported by the Dizzy Feet Foundation to encourage Americans “to embrace dance as a fun and positive way to maintain good health and fight obesity.” A U.S. Congressional resolution introduced the event...

Writers VS Editors ? I Think Not!

editing / musings / writing / writing process

Writers VS Editors ? I Think Not!

Authors may feel the relationship between themselves and their editors are contentious times. I’ve had only great experiences so far. For me, the time I spend with my editors is invigorating. We share our concerns about my work: word choices, punctuation errors, pacing on the page as well as whether a sentence or paragraph progresses the story. We discuss my ‘why’ verses their ‘concern’. Often I concede that what I meant and what I wrote are not in harmony. Then we work through the section, make adjustments to help the reader understand my meaning, and move on. In the process...

Ballet-Behind the Scenes

ballet performances / Dancing / musings

Ballet-Behind the Scenes

I live near Seattle and support the PNB (Pacific Northwest Ballet). That support entitles me to free admission to two dress rehearsals. This season I saw Romeo and Juliet, then “American Stories.” What I enjoy about the dress rehearsals is the opportunity to watch them perform and then watch the stager and artistic director make adjustments. They meet with the dancers from various acts, rehearse changes, change lighting, adjust the tempo of the orchestra, and all with aa thoudans or more donors sitting quietly, watching and enjoying the opportunity. Some dancers wear warm-up clothes, others near-full costume. Conversations fly around,...

Let Me Introduce Denise Frisino

book reviewing / guests blogs / interviews

Let Me Introduce Denise Frisino

Denise Frisino is a multi-talented woman. I met her in an evening class she taught at the University of Washington on building characters in stories. Her ideas were magical and made a huge difference in how I saw my characters’ movement. Denise Frisino spent her summers playing and working in the numerous islands that define the Pacific Northwest, where her family spans four generations. Denise is a Seattle native who at age five began her lifelong devotion to performing and the arts. Both on stage and in film, she has been involved as an actress, writer, director, and producer. After graduating...