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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: Writing Progress
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
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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
2 Comments
Writer’s Day Approach(eth)
I am ready to attend tomorrow’s SCBWI Writer’s Day in Thousand Oaks. I just finished submitting my printing order(s) to whatever Kinko’s is now called, so that I may swing by in the morning and pick up stuff that may … Continue reading
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
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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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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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Boo, Moan, Woo
On the heels of a rejection, I finished editing my short story and submitted it today—thanks to my spouse whisking the boy to Zuma Beach for the afternoon, leaving me to my laptop in my quiet bedroom office—quiet but for … Continue reading
Posted in Adult writing, Fiction, Me and Us, Steps In Promotion, Writing, Writing Progress
Tagged domestics, fiction, fiction writing, Halloween, life, personal goals, toddlers, writer, writing
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Delusional Wednesday
Sipping champagne (not purchased from Trader Joe’s, but a hip Silver Lake wine store) from a crystal flute with precious ridges, eating dark chocolate covered marzipan bon bons from a heart shaped box in Tiffany’s-blue, so enjoying my spine embedded in … Continue reading
Posted in Adult writing, Fiction, Writing, Writing Progress
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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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Cooler I Have Been
I’m over the Book Club Blues and previous “froggy” state and have moved on to more-than-contemplating my goals, which meant working on a short story today in this freaky heatwave of 113 degrees, which is all anyone in the San Fernando Valley … Continue reading
Posted in Adult writing, Avoiding My Writing, Book Club, Fiction, Me and Us, Writer's Angst, Writing, Writing Progress
Tagged Alice In Wonderland, book club, fiction, fiction writing, Lewis Carroll, life, lullaby, toddlers, writer, writing
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Book Club Blues
Tonight I will not be writing in order to attend Book Club. Left is our discussion topic. In keeping with the spirit of the book, I will be bringing shrimp potstickers to share. I wanted to bring Sake and drink it … Continue reading
Posted in Avoiding My Writing, Book Club, Fiction, Writing Progress
Tagged book club, fiction, writing
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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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Welcome Home, PB And Child
I think the most interesting part of my recent retreat was learning that I can, in fact, contrary to previous experience, do the temporary-single-parenting thing and write. Away from my husband for 6 days, away from playdates and email and constant internet … Continue reading
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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TGIF?
It appears to be Friday–again. I managed to finish this week’s immediate goal, which will ignite a slew of similar goals in upcoming weeks, especially next week, when once again I go on: r e t r e a t. With. My. Son. The … Continue reading
Posted in Me and Us, middle grade, Steps In Promotion, Writing Progress
Tagged date night, fiction, life, movie night, movies, writing
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To Really Explain
I realized I wanted to attend a children’s literature writer’s day. When I realized this, I also realized (with what felt like a bucket of icewater dumped on my head) that the deadline for registering for the writer’s day was … Continue reading
Posted in middle grade, To Explain, Writing Progress
Tagged children's literature, fiction, life, writer, writing
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To Explain
Moth, BB, done. Think: The diet of Roughhead Blennis. Think mantas. Breath anemones. Be tube sponges. Feel sand between toes (visited playground today). Shhhhhhh…Am editing Trouble. starknakedfish.com
Posted in middle grade, To Explain, Writing Progress
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About Ready Is My Middle Name
I am about ready to record my Moth Radio submission. Also about ready to mail my BB submission tomorrow morning. Feels. Like. I’m! Ploughing. Through. Serious goo. (Said using Captain Kirk cadence.) I’m not as swift as I used to … Continue reading
Posted in Steps In Promotion, To Explain, Writing Progress
Tagged fiction, life, moth radio, personal goals, writer, writing
4 Comments
PB Rippey Writes 
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