Blogging All Over The…
December 2025 M T W T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 
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-
Join 344 other subscribers
-
Written To Date…
Tag Archives: poetry
Prep: SCBWI Writers Day 2024
Writers Day 2024 is my favorite SCBWI annual event as it’s held at the Skirball (therefore sentimental–when my teen was a toddler I took him to the museum’s Noah’s Ark exhibit, often). Lunch is included with the price and is … Continue reading
Conference Time
2nd day, Big Sur Children’s Writers Workshops held not in Big Sur–Hwy 1 such a mess this time of year–but in Monterey, 4.5 hrs from home. I arrived in Monterey with my husband the day before the conference started. Mini-break … Continue reading
Posted in Writing
Tagged #amwriting, 2024, art, books, children's literature, fiction, kidlit, Literature, middle grade writing, Monterey CA, personal goals, poetry, writer, writing
1 Comment
Cannery Row & Pacific Grove
Pre-kidlit conference exploration of Cannery Row and dinner in Pacific Grove. Visiting Pacific Marine Laboratories never gets old as I can never not seem to romanticize Ed Ricketts. Never actually explored neighboring P. Grove before–its views are, to plop a … Continue reading
All The Lovely Prepping
This weekend is the Big Sur Children’s Writing Workshops/conference in Monterey. I’m going up a day early. But first is house-prep, setting up the guest room for my inlaws, baking stuff for the ravenous teen for the entire 3.5 days … Continue reading
Latest Kite Tales
Read the latest edition of Kite Tales (tri-region SCBWI blog) and the interview with April Halprin Wayland via Paige Vinten Taylor. Valuable (IMO) advice/insights packed into one interview–excellent. Yours in keeping creative minds humming, PB
Posted in Children's Books
Tagged #amwriting, 2024, April Halprin Wayland, Children's Books, fiction writing, kidlit, Kidlit poetry, Kite Tales, Paige Vinten Taylor, poetry, SCBWI, SCBWI-LA
Leave a comment
SCBWI Retreat (San Simeon Edition)
I’ve been successful in tearing my eyes away from the ocean in order to revise my new novel, the same I’m taking to the Big Sur Children’s Writing Workshops and that placed (tooting my horn again) in the SCBWI Sue … Continue reading
Happy New Year
Hummingbird on a branch, seen on my first powerwalk of 2024. The only bird that can fly backwards. Did you know they also catch insects with their whip-tongues? Yours in birds as symbols of hope in 2024 (except when crows … Continue reading
Posted in Writing
Tagged 2024, bird wars, children's literature, crows, fiction, fiction writing, Happy New Year 2024, hawks, hummingbirds, life, middle grade writing, personal goals, poetry, powerwalks
1 Comment
NYE 2024
Survived Trader Joe’s this morning (oh–you too?). Watched closely by the cats, occasionally removing them from boxes, we de-Christmased the house. “WHAT ALREADY???” my friend texted. But we’ve had Christmas since 11/23, when we decorated our faux tree. As much … Continue reading
Posted in Writing
Tagged 2023, cats, children's literature, fiction, fiction writing, life, middle grade writing, NYE 2023, personal goals, poetry, writer, writing
Leave a comment
Happy Everything Nice as we rocket towards 2024! Yours in beloveds, PB
Posted in Writing
Tagged 2023, cats, children's literature, domestic life, fiction, fiction writing, middle grade writing, personal goals, poetry, writer, writing
Leave a comment
Noel
When I close my laptop and the house isn’t stirring, not even a cat (or a teen), tiredx10 from walking the crazy girl earlier in the day, bleary-eyed from revising topics I must believe in because I keep on writing … Continue reading
Posted in Writing
Tagged 2023, children's literature, Christms 2023, fiction, fiction writing, middle grade writing, Noel, personal goals, poetry, writing
1 Comment
INSERT HO-HO-HO HERE
Yours in staying active this holiday season, PB
Posted in Writing
Tagged 2023, children's literature, Christmas in California, fiction writing, life, middle grade writing, poetry, writing
Leave a comment
Holiday Pteranodon
Welcome to December! aka Revisionmas! Which has everything to do with this photo. Yours in Christmas decorations up since Thanksgiving Day, a return to writing at night in addition to weekday dawns, and yours in the art and agony and … Continue reading
Posted in Writing
Tagged #amwriting, 2023, children's literature, Christmas Spirit, fiction writing, middle grade writing, poetry, Pteranodons, The art of revision, writer, writing
1 Comment
So: November
Daylight Savings Time; my dad would have been 83 today; it’s 87F in my neck of the woods until maybe midweek; we are prepping for our son’s 16th birthday party–I have purchased glow-in-the-dark beachballs that can have the s*** pounded … Continue reading
Posted in Writing
Tagged 2023, Bambi, children's literature, Cujo, Death, dog training, fiction writing, middle grade writing, Mr. Beast cookies, November, parties, personal goals, Pets, pizza, poetry, revising, Teenagers, writing
Leave a comment
A Tardy Boo
Am late to every party. Sad, that. Happy last Halloween! Yours in using an awl to punch holes in your jack-o-lantern for a different effect, PB
Posted in Writing
Tagged 2023, children's literature, fiction, fiction writing, Halloween 2023, middle grade writing, poetry, writer, writing
Leave a comment
Just Call Me: Revision
I’ve got a pretty good rhythm going revising: 2 kidlit/eco-fiction novels and 2 women’s fiction novels. I am a morning person now–not sure I’m TRULY a 5:30a.m. morning person? But that alarm seems to work if I want to feel … Continue reading
Hi, It’s Me, It’s I’m-Revising-It Me
Right now? I could be a NYTimes Connections puzzle, complete with the requisite 4 answers: Through-line. Grammar. Deep Breaths. In N Out French Fries. Hint: What PB Rippey does after Momming around town and pacifying the mini-zoo. Theme: Revision. Answers: … Continue reading
Posted in Writing
Tagged 2023, children's literature, Connections, fiction writing, Grammar, In N Out fries, It's Me, middle grade writing, mini-zoos, minivan moms, Moms, New York Times, personal goals, poetry, Taylor Swift, Wordle, writer, writing
Leave a comment
On Stepping Away
You know how so many books on creativity, or self-help books by therapists, psychologists, or self-help websites and apps advise stepping away from your work and going on an artist-date with your creative-self in order to receive fresh ideas, answers … Continue reading
Posted in Writing
Tagged #amwriting, 2023, children's literature, fiction, fiction writing, Grand Canyon, middle grade writing, personal goals, poetry, Travel 2023, Vacation 2023, writer
Leave a comment
Revision
Dropping this pic here as I revise my current novels as at this moment, this picture describes my writing life. Layered, themed, complicated/not complicated, weirdly satisfying, a constant work-in-progress. Revision is hard, right? But also gratifying. Long live the Mojave/Mitchell … Continue reading
Festival Weekend 2023
I’m going. Are you? Sunday I’m helping out at the SCBWI booth. Both days have a great lineup of kidlit authors signing books. Poetry tent will be quietly rockin’. Lots to explore, as usual. See you there!
Posted in Writing
Tagged #amwriting, 2023, fiction writing, food trucks!, kidlit authors, LA Times Festival of Books 2023, Los Angeles, Middle Grade Fiction, poetry, USC, writing
Leave a comment
April: Poetry Month
Repair—Dorianne Laux After you fix the broken picture framewith wood staples and wire, take the glassrectangle to the kitchen and turn on the tap,hold it beneath and watch the water slide downthrough the dust. Balance that expanseon the divider between … Continue reading
Posted in Writing
Tagged 2023, April Poetry Month, Dorianne Laux, fiction, fiction writer, National Poetry month 2023, poetry, Spring 2023
Leave a comment
Spring Break: High Desert (Mojave Edition)
Last year I thought we’d spend this year’s spring break in Costa Rica, but Rte 66 and the Mojave National Preserve were shall we say more 2023 practical: I hate you Covid. Mitchell Caverns. Calico Ghost Town. The Jenny Rose … Continue reading
Posted in Writing
Tagged 2023, Alien movies, Calico Ghost Town, California High Desert, children's literature, Elmer's Bottle Tree Ranch, fiction writing, Jenny Rose, Leaving Las Vegas, Mitchell Caverns, Mojave National Desert, Peggy Sue's Diner, poetry, Providence Mountains, Sheryl Crow, spring break 2023, writer, writing
3 Comments
Fielding Distractions
SoCal rainstorms, 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, submitting, … Continue reading
Posted in Writing
Tagged #amwriting, 2023, children's literature, fiction writing, life, middle grade writing, personal goals, poetry, SoCal snow, Valencia, women's fiction, writing
Leave a comment
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
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
Posted in Adult writing, Children's Books
Tagged 2022, children's literature, Christmas 2022, fiction writing, life, middle grade writing, personal goals, Pets, poetry, puppy mom, writing
1 Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.