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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: To Explain
New Muse
A kitten after my own heart. We have a new muse around here since Mother’s Day. He was this writer’s huge, completely unexpected, big-deal surprise. I’d forgotten how much joy kittens bring, endless chuckles for both adults and a little boy excited to … Continue reading
Posted in Avoiding My Writing, books, Me and Us, To Explain, Writing Progress
Tagged cats, domestic bliss, fiction writing, kitten, life, toddlers, writer, writing
1 Comment
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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Writing Fever
It’s going to take longer for me to reach my number one goal. I can’t rush this revision, even if I wanted to. Yes, domestics ALWAYS come into play when it comes to writing, such as: My son’s flu, this … Continue reading
Posted in Fiction, Me and Us, middle grade, Poetry, Steps In Promotion, To Explain, Writer's Angst, Writing, Writing Progress, WTF
Tagged cats, children's literature, dog, domestic bliss, domestics, fiction, fiction writing, labrador, life, middle grade writing, personal goals, poetry, toddlers, writer, writing
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Books Interlude
Have you visited YA Muses? They are a lovely, helpful, inspiring quartet, all with backgrounds, current writing-situations and future-talk I appreciate. They inspire me. They give me hope, or remind me that there is hope when it comes to writing … Continue reading
Posted in Fiction, middle grade, Steps In Promotion, To Explain, Writing, Writing Progress
Tagged children's literature, fiction, fiction writing, life, personal goals, SCBWI, writer, writing
1 Comment
Hi Ho!
My little shining writing-prize moment of 2010 made the Kite Tales newsletter. I am the giant on the far right. (???) I will never forget hearing the name of my book called out and almost falling off the auditorium chair, … Continue reading
Ready, Set, Write!
Preschool is a go! (See my other blog—or, not) I now have 3 hours 3 days a week to write. Am very confident that by next week (after the holiday excitement dies down around here) I will have my Number … Continue reading
Posted in dog, Me and Us, middle grade, Steps In Promotion, To Explain, Writing, Writing Progress
Tagged cats, children's literature, dog, domestic bliss, domestics, fiction, fiction writing, labrador, life, pecan cheesecake pie, personal goals, roughhead blenny, SCBWI, toddlers, writer, writing
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New Schedules
Suddenly it’s November 16th and my son and I have been attending preschool as his Mama transitions him into a new adventure three mornings a week. If all goes well and he enjoys preschool, my writing life will receive a … Continue reading
Posted in dog, Me and Us, middle grade, Parakeet, Steps In Promotion, To Explain, Writer's Angst, Writing, Writing Progress, WTF
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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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When You’re Writing…
My official “Trouble” roughhead blenny mascot returns The good news is, I haven’t been posting because I am going over Trouble Beneath The Waves. I do this while my son eats his meals. I do this when my husband returns … Continue reading
Posted in Fiction, Me and Us, middle grade, To Explain, Writing, Writing Progress
Tagged children's literature, dog, fiction, fiction writing, life, personal goals, roughhead blenny, SCBWI, toddlers, writer, writing
1 Comment
Time (said in 3 syllables)
Currently difficult to impossible to fathom where the time is going, has gone. October nearly vanished, we are actually moving into the hyper-acceleration months of November and December, when Thanksgiving and Christmas bleed into one and my son turns 3. Another year … Continue reading
Posted in Avoiding My Writing, To Explain, Writer's Angst, Writing Progress, WTF
Tagged life, personal goals, writer's block, 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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Writing Companion
Sometimes Julian joins me in my bed office, keeps an eye on me while I fuss with the keyboard, picks at his rope, emits charming whistles. He’s a good listener when I read a draft out loud—although my voice seems to make … Continue reading
Posted in Me and Us, Parakeet, To Explain, Writer's Angst, Writing, Writing Progress, WTF
Tagged domestics, fiction writing, life, Rudyard Kipling, toddlers, writer, writer's block, writing
2 Comments
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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New Workings
Depending on who you talk to (my spouse, Facebook, my infernal muse, ABC.com…) I am working on a new poem. As proof, and in danger of ex-ing myself from the writing genre, here are some lines from this new poem … 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 domestic bliss, domestics, Facebook, fiction, fiction writing, life, personal goals, poetry, toddlers, Trader Joe's, TV, writer, writer's block, writing
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Cutthroat Writer
Currently channeling my inner (or not so inner) Cutthroat Writer (notice her fingers poised to drop to the keyboard and—clack, no—CLACK for hours, even if her toddler wakes up at 5:00a.m., like today, even if “cutthroat writer” means looking like this … Continue reading
Posted in Fiction, middle grade, Poetry, To Explain, Writing, Writing Progress, WTF
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Type Type Type
Posted in Avoiding My Writing, To Explain, WTF
Tagged fiction writing, writer, writer's block
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A Tad Froggy
This is me right now. Not well seen. Murky on the outside. Rough. Blug. Frozen in dubious water. Were it not for the toddler, I would be an exact copy of the frog fish in the photo, only atrophied. I … Continue reading
Posted in Avoiding My Writing, Me and Us, middle grade, To Explain, Writer's Angst, Writing Progress, WTF
Tagged fiction, life, writer's block, writing
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On “Retreat”
What does “retreat” really mean? Regifting Halloween candy you’ve trick-or-treated for your toddler? Putting a fresh coat of cream cheese frosting on your yellow squash cupcakes because your toddler licked it all off while you were on the phone, looking … Continue reading
Posted in Me and Us, middle grade, To Explain, Writing Progress
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PB Rippey Writes 
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