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PB learns to ride the unicycle!
UPDATE: my unicycle hangs from a hook in our garage. Sometimes I tell it: I'll be back.January 1, 2025-
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Category Archives: Adult writing
A Little Nap Reading
I’m terrible when it comes to reading (cue echoing god-voice): books on craft. I used to ride horses that shied when the wind picked up, theirs withers trembling, nostrils flaring noisily. Hold Donald Maass’ book up before me and I’ve … Continue reading
Posted in Adult writing, Avoiding My Writing, Fiction, Steps In Promotion, Writer's Angst
Tagged 2012, Donald Maass, fiction writing, personal goals, writing
2 Comments
The Elusive Palomino
As I was writing/editing and avoiding my laptop’s Internet connection in my bed office yesterday (see canny Zadie Smith quote from previous post), utilizing the sweet patch of me-as-writer time following leg-destroying yoga and before I was to pick my son up … Continue reading
Posted in Adult writing, Avoiding My Writing, books, Fiction, middle grade, Poetry, poetry reading, Quotes, Writer's Angst, Writing, Writing Progress
Tagged 2011, fiction writing, middle grade writing, Modern Family, palominos, personal goals, poetry, preschoolers, TV, writer's angst, writing, Zadie Smith
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DUMMY
I have a new special writing/revising trick. Starting with the first three chapters of my novel, I copy and paste them into a brand new fresh document, print, then edit/revise/correct/read-aloud/enhance/make-marvelous, etc. I throw the hardcopy edits into the brand new … Continue reading
Spa Buzz
It sounds silly, but: I survived the MWO. Within an hour of being at our desert spa destination, I toured, floated on rafties in that one charming pool, flew on tiptoes to my chaise, applied Burt’s Bees sunblock to my nose, … Continue reading
Quote For The Weekend: Lifted Edition
This quote, by Her Royal PD James, is lifted from writer Laurie Halse Anderson’s site where Laurie is, as always, writing inspiring-everythings, because she cares, then cares some more: “My most valuable trait is tenacity, but what got me where … Continue reading
Posted in Adult writing, Fiction, Quotes, To Explain, Writer's Angst, Writing
Tagged 2011, fiction, fiction writing, personal goals, writer, writer's angst, writing
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Quote For The Weekend (Early Edition As Leaving Town For Environs W/No Internet)
If you believe, as the Greeks did, that man is at the mercy of the gods, then you write tragedy. The end is inevitable from the beginning. But if you believe that man can solve his own problems and is … Continue reading
Posted in Adult writing, books, Fiction, Quotes, Writing
Tagged 2011, fiction, Lillian Hellman, writer, writer's angst, writing
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When I Write
I might wake up many times during any night due to: Nightmares involving fedora-wearing aliens intent on making off with my son. The certainty that I have heard a loud noise, which means rising from bed and checking my son’s room and the rest … Continue reading
Posted in Adult writing, Avoiding My Writing, books, dog, Faction, Fiction, Me and Us, middle grade, Poetry, Steps In Promotion, To Explain, Writer's Angst, Writing, Writing Progress, WTF
Tagged 2011, cats, chaos, children's literature, dog, domestic bliss, domestics, fiction, fiction writing, labrador, life, middle grade writing, personal goals, poetry, toddlers, writer, writer's angst, writer's block, writing
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Harsh Is Harsh
Read the 30 Harshest Author-On-Author Insults In History, compiled by writer Emily Temple for Flavorwire: http://flavorwire.com/188138/the-30-harshest-author-on-author-insults-in-history Here are a few samples: 27. Harold Bloom on J.K. Rowling (2000) “How to read ‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone’? Why, very quickly, … Continue reading
Posted in Adult writing, Fiction, Writer's Angst, Writing, WTF
Tagged 2011, fiction, fiction writing, writer's angst, writing
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How Do I Really Feel
When an agent lets me know why he/she is passing on my manuscript after a request to read more (but not all), do I honestly appreciate the feedback? Do I? As I morph into the spitting image of Munch’s scream subject (obviously a multiply … Continue reading
Help
Kathryn Stockett on her rejections and perseverance in More. Memorable quotes: A year and a half later, I opened my 40th rejection: “There is no market for this kind of tiring writing.” That one finally made me cry. After rejection … Continue reading
Posted in Adult writing, Book Club, books, Fiction, Writer's Angst, Writing
Tagged fiction, fiction writing, personal goals, writer, writing
2 Comments
Finished
Perhaps it’s in bad form to compare this novel to the Twilight series, but I am struck by how much more horror-packed credible dystopia is than books with credible, contemporary vampires and their various friends and foes. Yes, I’m still … Continue reading
Posted in Adult writing, books, Fiction, Writing, WTF
Tagged children's literature, Dystopia, fiction, fiction writing, Rudyard Kipling, toddlers, writing, Young Adult fiction
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The Chalk Speaks
Posted in Adult writing, Book Club, books, Fiction, Writing
Tagged book club, fiction, fiction writing, life, writing
2 Comments
There’s No Place Like Hush
It’s April. I’m quiet. I’m revising. Being a vigilant mother. Cooking for house guests (i.e. Costco-ing for house guests). Hulu-ing Parenthood (help me, Obi Wan—it’s my only vice). Typing in my quips on Facebook (help me, O.W.—it’s my only other … Continue reading
Posted in Adult writing, Avoiding My Writing, dog, Fiction, Me and Us, middle grade, Parakeet, Steps In Promotion, To Explain, Writer's Angst, Writing, Writing Progress, WTF
Tagged aliens, children's literature, dog, domestic bliss, domestics, dreams, Facebook, fiction, fiction writing, life, middle grade writing, nightmares, toddlers, writer, writing
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Welcome Vibrations
A striking thing happened this morning after dropping my son off at his preschool. I returned home, did not check email, vacuum up dog hair, make a Trader Joe’s list, stare intently at Yahoo news while groaning at the spelling … Continue reading
Posted in Adult writing, dog, Fiction, Me and Us, middle grade, Parakeet, Steps In Promotion, To Explain, Writer's Angst, Writing, Writing Progress, WTF
Tagged children's literature, dog, domestic bliss, domestics, fiction writing, life, middle grade writing, personal goals, preschooler, toddlers, Trader Joe's, writer, writing
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Valuable Information
The ever helpful YA Muses blog has wonderful posts up on the writing process and revision and what the heck writers do to make novels make sense (including cutting mass portions, creating charts—oh, go see, go see). The YAM posts … Continue reading
Posted in Adult writing, Fiction, middle grade, To Explain, Writing, Writing Progress
Tagged children's literature, domestic bliss, domestics, fiction, fiction writing, life, middle grade writing, ocean, writer
6 Comments
Fever!
I need the sort of writing fever that allows multi-tasking. I need to be able to be ill AND revise a novel and engage the 3 year old and toss the tennis ball for the dog, fold laundry, garden (i.e. yank … Continue reading
Posted in Adult writing, Avoiding My Writing, dog, Faction, Fiction, Me and Us, Poetry, Steps In Promotion, To Explain, Writer's Angst, Writing, Writing Progress, WTF
Tagged 2011, beach, chaos, cornwall, doc martin, dog, domestic bliss, domestics, fiction, fiction writing, flu, guilt, life, middle grade writing, multi-tasking, novels, personal goals, poetry, toddlers, writer, writer's block, writing
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Poet Distracted By Whales
Had to take a break from editing Trouble. Did so by editing a new poem. It’s almost 9p.m. My spouse has once again passed out with the toddler when putting him to bed. There is nothing to distract me from editing … Continue reading
Posted in Adult writing, Avoiding My Writing, Me and Us, Poetry, Steps In Promotion, To Explain, Writer's Angst, Writing, Writing Progress, WTF
Tagged chaos, children's literature, life, personal goals, poetry, SCBWI, toddlers, whales, writer, writer's block, writing
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SCBWI Writer’s Day
Trouble Beneath The Waves received a Special Mention at today’s SCBWI Writer’s Day. For some reason I thought winners of the contests (2 honorees in each category—Most Promising Manuscript and Special Mention) had already been announced and printed on the … Continue reading
Posted in Adult writing, Fiction, Me and Us, middle grade, Steps In Promotion, Writing, Writing Progress
Tagged children's literature, fiction, fiction writing, life, SCBWI, writer, writer's retreat, writing
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Pack Leader
I have not posted of late. See picture on left. We brought him into our pack and I have been adjusting to the dog element as it relates to freaked out housecats and a toddler with beaucoup d’energy. Le French … Continue reading
Posted in Adult writing, Avoiding My Writing, dog, Faction, Fiction, Me and Us, middle grade, Poetry, Steps In Promotion, To Explain, Writer's Angst, Writing, Writing Progress, WTF
Tagged beach, Big Sur, children's literature, dog, domestics, fiction, fiction writing, Henry Miller Library, labrador, life, personal goals, poetry, toddlers, writer, writer's retreat, writing
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Script Analysis
Tonight was so interesting. Between the usual daily madness of mothering, cleaning, cooking, errand-running, FB-ing, email checking, napping, sock finding, googly-eyed puppet-making, Halloween costume hunting, folding laundry and poem-editing—I was able to read the current draft of a script my husband … Continue reading
Posted in Adult writing, Fiction, Me and Us, Poetry, To Explain, Writing, Writing Progress
Tagged date night, domestic bliss, domestics, fiction, fiction writing, screenwriting, scripts, writer, writing
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