Author Archives: PB Rippey
Except He Doesn’t Proofread My Blog Posts
Now that the Feb (me) and March (spouse) event-packed birthdays are over, it’s back to work. I purposefully let my MG synopsis and the first 10 pages of the ms. marinate for a few days. Still feeling positive after reading … Continue reading
Fielding Distractions
SoCal rainstorms and SNOW!!! and my (feels-like-95th) birthday have distracted me from completing important tasks since Valentine’s Day (also a distraction), such as wiping puppy noseprints from windows, or filling in gopher holes. However, I’m not distracted from my creativity–writing, … Continue reading
Time to Read
Valentine’s Day present from husband and the teen. Perfect! Wish I could start reading now. Yours in hearts and candy (whether chocolate or books), PB
Absolutely the Place
Took me a while to finish this novel, but not because it’s not riveting. I was savoring each chapter. Maggie O’Farrell’s ability to introduce multiple characters on a page and pull out their souls for the reader to examine? A … Continue reading
Hearts on the Horizon
Hurtling towards February, my birthday month, I’m still writing every day thanks to Nephele Tempest’s December Writing Challenge AND I almost have my synopsis ready (though–are synopses ever really ready?) for my women’s fiction novel AND the synopses for my … Continue reading
More on loglines
Instead of grousing about writing loglines, I’m sharing my go-to list when composing them. My husband, the scriptwriter, calls this list a formula. Although the following doesn’t make my grousing cease, it does temper it and, truthfully, makes approaching writing … Continue reading
O Loglines!
To be 100% honest, I hate writing them. I tell myself: fantastic writing exercise! Or: you’ve just written 5 potential maybe-winners! Or: it’s midnight WTH. And: time to pay somebody. Query letter, synopsis, logline are sometimes the ONLY bits in … Continue reading
Night Writing Paradise
If I was to write solely by night, every night I would want to do it here: Which is also here: Here: And especially here: Sadly, this installation is temporary. I did let them know I’d be happy to take … Continue reading
JANUARY 1, 2023
HAPPY WRITING NEW YEAR! PB
The Flexible Writing Schedule
I love when authors I admire share writing schedules/non-schedules. Most seem to have a set routine–which I marvel at as I tend to ricochet around the hours–or the hours ricochet around me when I’m at my computer. I’m most focused … Continue reading
Solstice Check-in
December 21st and I’ve written or revised novels every day this month except for 1, when I was in the throes of that chest cold going around. Still feeling the chest cold. Writing anyway, keeping to agent Nephele Tempest’s December … Continue reading
O Holy Decor!
World’s tiniest Santa Claus tries to break into our house! Every night! Through January!
A Breath of History
The last time I visited the Roosevelt Hotel, Hollywood, my then-boyfriend and I ordered drinks from the Tropicana poolside bar, our waitress wearing a copy of Marilyn’s ‘Seven Year Itch’ white dress. We sipped alongside 2 Spideys and a Batman … Continue reading
December Writing Challenge
Each December agent Nephele Tempest reminds writers about her month-long writing challenge. Write. Every. Day. Even Christmas Day. Carve/axe/cement-drill writing time for yourself, even if only 10 little minutes. I’m in. Adding reading to the challenge–the tower of books on … Continue reading
SCBWI-LA and CenCal Writers Day ’22
So happy to finally attend in person again. Looking forward to seeing one of my favorite kidlit authors, librarian and conference host, Sally Rogan. Full day of mass-info-absorption in an inspiring environment. See you there. #WritersDay2022
Welcoming the Warg
So–recently we adopted my son when he was a baby, only in puppy form. My son is 14. It’s been a while since the cutest-of-babes escaped under tables and chairs with deadly pens/pencils (scooted to the floor by our cats) … Continue reading
Summer Goals (Part 2)
I’ve enjoyed summer despite living in fire country, which means our vital documents are packed in travel boxes until maybe November, pet carriers lined up in the garage, everything ready to be loaded, if necessary. My summer-normal. Yours, too? I … Continue reading
JULY (Miranda Edition)
Whenever I hear complaints about July, most of which have to do with hot weather, I immediately think of Miranda July, her quirky stories, films, and mostly the bagged goldfish on top of the moving car…especially that image, which for … Continue reading
O Summer! (Goals Edition)
School’s out for summer! My giant goal–apart from making every Tuesday an outings-day for the teen, i.e. museums, Olvera St., 3rd Street Promenade, Zuma, downtown library, Vasquez Rocks, that room where you can go and break crockery for an hour, … Continue reading
Update: Nanowrimo
My 2021 Nanowrimo (aka momomo) middle-grade novel from last November is in the revision stages, especially the first 10-20 pages. Revising what I mo-ed like geyser-gush from a broken sprinkler head last year is: good. I truly enjoy the challenge … Continue reading
Post Birthday Questionnaire
How old are you? Not old enough.What do you want? Greater physical/emotional strength. To write more than I am writing. To see more wild sea otters.What have you given your teenager that is worthwhile, or impressionable? Apologies when I’m wrong … Continue reading
Saving Your Protagonist
I’m sure you’ve already read Save The Cat Writes a Novel, by Jessica Brody–however, if you haven’t? This: As I continue revising my Nanowrimo2021 novel, thanks to Cat the chant in my head is: What does my protagonist want? Simple, … Continue reading
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