Tag Archives: writer

Quote For The Weekend

Posted on January 19, 2013 by PB Rippey

In order to write the book you want to write, in the end you have to become the person you need to become to write that book. ― Junot Díaz Today I am a 56 year old academic who wrote only … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

2013: Resolute

Posted on January 1, 2013 by PB Rippey

1. Stand taller. 2. Be wiser. 3. Mother better. 4. Honor date nights. 4a. find a babysitter after 5 years of not        4b. either more or less caffeine @8pm any Friday night—search for successful eye-propping balance! Ha ha! Fun! 5. … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Children's Books, Fiction, ocean related, Poetry, Writer's Angst, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

And May All Your Turkeys Be Bright

Posted on November 21, 2012 by PB Rippey

It is 197-something and there are cats on the kitchen counter pulling apart the cooked bird with their claws and fangs. It is 199-something and a slobbery Rottweiler mix has hold of a turkey leg and the entire baking pan with turkey … Continue reading →

Posted in Avoiding My Writing, Fiction, Santa Barbara, Writer's Angst, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Trickle-Down Poem For May (Thank You, April)

Posted on May 1, 2012 by PB Rippey

Full Flower Moon May (mostly), the petticoat swirl of rising pink meadow, petite showers, buds. I say: rose, peony, phlox. And I say: petal- shorn, plucked, blown until only the head remains, one pale sticky oval crushed by u- niverse … Continue reading →

Posted in Poetry, Writing | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Quote For The Weekend (Rain Edition)

Posted on March 17, 2012 by PB Rippey

There’s always a period of curious fear between the first sweet-smelling breeze and the time when the rain comes cracking down. —Don DeLillo Yes. And a curious fear in the short time it takes to crack open the cover of … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Fiction, Me and Us, Quotes, Writer quotes, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Quote For The Weekend (Another Sunday Late Edition Blrrrrgh)

Posted on January 15, 2012 by PB Rippey

The blood jet is poetry/there is no stopping it. —Sylvia Plath I could stare at this photo for hours…

Posted in Poetry, Quotes | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Quotes Via Imagine

Posted on September 27, 2011 by PB Rippey

These are floating around Facebook right now thanks to Imagine Marketing. Let the Quotes For The Midweek begin! PS. I love Jennifer Egan. She was a guest at Bread Loaf when I was there and she was so friendly and … Continue reading →

Posted in Quotes, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Quote For The Weekend (Late Edition Due To—Due To—Hm? Wot? Is Someone Speaking? I CAN’T HEAR YOU!)

Posted on September 10, 2011 by PB Rippey

I made up my mind at the beginning of my writing life not to write about my family and friends, since I want them to remain my family and friends. Others, it seems, have come to a similar conclusion. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Poetry Reading

Posted on September 7, 2011 by PB Rippey

On Saturday, October 1st, 7:30p.m., I will be reading with other poets featured in The Pedestal Magazine at Beyond Baroque in Venice. Having just come from an extremely sparsely attended reading by the California Poet Laureate, I’m hoping there will … Continue reading →

Posted in Avoiding My Writing, books, Poetry, poetry reading, Steps In Promotion, To Explain, Writing, Writing Progress, WTF | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Llama Laugh

Posted on September 5, 2011 by PB Rippey

His laugh: Vaguely hyena, part labrador-loose-in-the-surf, not mocking, but the tiniest bit cryptic, comically so. He made me want to write. Since it was too wonderfully cold for sitting outside by the fountain and attention-sucking candlelight, for two nights we kept company, this llama and … Continue reading →

Posted in Avoiding My Writing, Fiction, ocean related, Writing, Writing Progress | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Gypsy Sunset

Posted on August 22, 2011 by PB Rippey

Now that summer preschool camp has come to an end, life is extremely busy as I organize excursions that will benefit the small mind and help it to expand in positive, utterly enriching ways (I’m talking about the enrichment that … Continue reading →

Posted in Avoiding My Writing, Faction, Fiction, Me and Us, To Explain, Writing, Writing Progress | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Quote For The Weekend: Lifted Edition

Posted on August 19, 2011 by PB Rippey

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 , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Quote For The Weekend (Early Edition As Leaving Town For Environs W/No Internet)

Posted on August 5, 2011 by PB Rippey

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 , , , , , | Leave a comment

Avoidance: 10:30a.m.

Posted on July 27, 2011 by PB Rippey

Terrified to read my latest revisions, terrified to admit terror to self-terrorized Self, I have: Vacuumed, cleaned the parakeet’s cage, vacuumed, watered outside, worked out (oh the lengths my terror shoves me), and almost resorted to brushing the dog. Made … Continue reading →

Posted in Avoiding My Writing, dog, middle grade, Parakeet, To Explain, Writer's Angst, Writing, Writing Progress, WTF | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

See World

Posted on July 18, 2011 by PB Rippey

Soon, this extremely amateur marine scientist, dolphin lover, anti-orcas-in-big-pools-putting-on-shows type, One Who Is Against Ray Petting Whether 2 Fingers Are Used Instead Of Your Whole Hand Or Not As You’re Still Diminishing The Ray’s Mucus Layer And Once That Happens They Get … Continue reading →

Posted in Avoiding My Writing, fish, Me and Us, ocean related, Steps In Promotion, To Explain, Writer's Angst, Writing, Writing Progress, WTF | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Quote(s) For The Weekend (Carmageddon Edition)

Posted on July 16, 2011 by PB Rippey

A suburban mother’s role is to deliver children obstetrically once, and by car forever after.  ~Peter De Vries The best car safety device is a rear-view mirror with a cop in it.  ~Dudley Moore The longest journey begins with a … Continue reading →

Posted in Me and Us, WTF | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Watermelon People, For Instance

Posted on July 15, 2011 by PB Rippey

My head and my brain are still at the writing retreat, clicking away, processing vitals, etc. I hope they are enjoying themselves. I returned home with my son to a house packed with visitors both human and canine, dinner for 8 … Continue reading →

Posted in Avoiding My Writing, books, Faction, Fiction, middle grade, ocean related, Santa Barbara, To Explain, Writer's Angst, Writing, Writing Progress | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Retreat

Posted on July 6, 2011 by PB Rippey

Tomorrow I go off the grid and to my borrowed writing-house, get-away-pad, writing-retreat-with-fountain for a few days. Since there will be no wireless connection, I will revise sans the usual distractions (Facebook, The Pioneer Woman, Yahoo “News”, hulu) while my son eats … Continue reading →

Posted in Avoiding My Writing, Me and Us, ocean related, Santa Barbara, To Explain, Writing, Writing Progress | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

When I Write

Posted on July 1, 2011 by PB Rippey

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Going Home

Posted on June 26, 2011 by PB Rippey

The problem with zipping up to my hometown some weekends is not the going-home-traffic turning 75 miles into 750, not that I rarely get any writing done because of the endless activities, not the June gloom (kindly vanishing for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Me and Us, Santa Barbara, To Explain, Writer's Angst, Writing, Writing Progress, WTF | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Quote For Saturday

Posted on June 11, 2011 by PB Rippey

Easy reading is damn hard writing.  ~Nathaniel Hawthorne

Posted in books, Fiction, Writing, WTF | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Piddlings

Posted on June 10, 2011 by PB Rippey

I printed out a “finished” poem and left it on the chair next to my bed desk. I left the room. When I returned, I discovered that fearless, scratches-inflicting, wild, out of control, great white shark-mouthed and terminally cute Diggory-The-Kitten had … Continue reading →

Posted in Avoiding My Writing, dog, Me and Us, Parakeet, Poetry, To Explain, Writer's Angst, Writing Progress, WTF | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Monday Tussle

Posted on June 6, 2011 by PB Rippey

Welllllllll…Soooooooooooo…It’s one of those mornings when you use that refrain as you do a Trader Joe’s run, a shoestore run for the little guy, a Target run and a Lowe’s run because you can’t live without knowing if they have … Continue reading →

Posted in Adult writing, Avoiding My Writing, fish, Me and Us, middle grade, ocean related, To Explain, Writer's Angst, Writing, Writing Progress, WTF | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Notes From Here

Posted on May 30, 2011 by PB Rippey

Beach as mental equalizer (despite persistent wind). Impossible to crack open a book or uncap a pen here (though not because of wind). The way the sand is riled, looks as though whole, transportable cities (twirling towers of particles) are whisking … Continue reading →

Posted in Avoiding My Writing, books, Fiction, Me and Us, ocean related, Santa Barbara, Writer's Angst, Writing, Writing Progress | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Contest Winner

Posted on May 21, 2011 by PB Rippey

In a previous post I mentioned the YA Muses were holding a very generous contest. Winners would have the first 15 pages of their WIP or NIPR (novel in perpetual revision) read by one of the Muses. The grand prize … Continue reading →

Posted in books, middle grade, Steps In Promotion, To Explain, Writer's Angst, Writing, Writing Progress | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment