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Resolutions

book reviewing / details in writing / musings

Resolutions

Resolution: a resolve, a declaration, a decision to make a change. Authors make resolutions every day as they develop and write their character’s lives. True, they are not usually to lose weight or read a certain number of books; they revolve around day-to-day decisions with the intent of moving their stories forward. Will Marta recover from her injury? Will Steve get a job? Will Lynne keep her position with the Intermountain Ballet Company? Will Madame ever explain to Marta or Lynne why she was hard on them? Those are the fun elements in stories that need to be shared before...

Book List for 2015

musings

Book List for 2015

Since I live in Snohomish County in WA state, I’m part of the Sno-Isle Library System, a regional library serving Snohomish and Island counties. Below are their top picks for 2015 based on their books in circulation. (as posted in the December 17th Edmonds Beacon). Fiction: The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee Gray Mountain by John Grisham Memory Man by David Balducci A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult The Liar...

Word Challenge

Challenge / musings

Word Challenge

Word play is one of my favorite pasttimes. Here’s a word challenge to keep you busy thinking. Begin with the word startling “S -T-A- R -T- L- I- N- G”. Drop 1 letter at a time. End with the word “I” Send me your results IF you can do it.

One Amazing Tool!

84 Ribbons

One Amazing Tool!

Writing requires hours and hours of research. So does travel. The two converge when we look at mileage. The following site will take you from one village or town or city to another on any continent in miles or kilometers. Check it out. www.freemaptool.com/how-far-is-it-between.html

December? Already?

editing / Letters to Follow / musings / When the Music Stops

December? Already?

Where did the year disappear to so quickly? Last week was summer wasn’t it? Or maybe September? But December…so soon? My writing goals took a hit earlier this year when we had problems with the covers on When the Music Stops- Dance On. That slowed my event planning which in turn pushed back my writing time on the last book in the trilogy, Letters to Follow. Talk about the domino effect!! Now, as 2015 ends, I’m hoping I’ve found the ending to book three. I have a clear resolution to most all the issues left unfinished in the first two...

Morning Light, Evening Light in Retrospect

Uncategorized

Morning Light, Evening Light in Retrospect

There is always a moment in the morning, between the silence of the night before and the noise of the day to come, when it seemed…that time stopped for a beat, when all the world was motionless, expectant. The Pilot’s Wife by Anita Shreve (p.82) From my vacation lanai, I see and feel this every morning. The waves off Kona take a breather, slowing before they gather force to crash against the black lava coast. The palm trees stand dark against the dawn. Stars that were bright moments ago, fade and are forgotten for now. Facing west-southwest, I see the...

INspiration

details in writing / musings / writer reminders / writing process

INspiration

Where do you go to get inspired? the beach, a park, a movie? Or, are you the type that of person to find your inspiration in talking with people, joining a club or maybe the solitude of a day alone with a good book. Does sampling a variety of wines or berries or vegetables inspires you? How about the touch of a luscious fabric? Regardless of where you find inspiration, a writer often uses what they see, smell, hear, taste and touch to make a story sparkle. They take the inspiration IN, mush it around a bit and voila! It...

Sensory Journal

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Sensory Journal

I started a journal of sensory impressions several years ago. The idea being to record what I saw, heard, tasted, touched and smelled as well as lines I read that impacted me Like many people, my daily follow through dipped after a few weeks. Now I’ve gone back to look at what I wrote to see if I can challenge myself to lift my mundane comments to original ideas. Examples of changes: Icy grapes ….. icy grapes, a burst of coldness The cars on a nearby highway ….. an ocean of cars, surging forward Grass clippings ….. mown grass: green...

Wanted: Your Opinion

musings

Wanted: Your Opinion

Which statement is most true? Why do you believe that??? “That is the job of fiction: to put down on paper, a chain of words that anyone could find in an ordinary dictionary, which will bring to life real human beings in a real setting.” James Michener in The Novel p. 212 OR… “(The) words had too much power. They had to be handled with fireproof gloves or they’d burn you to the bone.” Kristin Hannah in Distant Shore, p. 5   Do the words have power or is it the author’s ideas that create the power in a book?

A Look into my Typical Writing Day

musings

A Look into my Typical Writing Day

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...