What I did this week: I just got back from a three-day writing retreat in Astoria, Oregon. Oh boy oh boy was it ever wonderful to have three days to focus on writing fiction. I also remembered how great it is to enjoy the camaraderie of other writers. At night we drank wine and talked […]
I know, I know, you get back what you put out so I shouldn’t be calling February gloomy. But for cripes sakes, it kind of is. I mean, we’ve got the Donald, and here in Portland we’ve had so many ice and snowstorms I’ve lost count (give me plain old Oregon rain any day), and […]
Last week was rough for me. I was distracted by the election news and I didn’t get a lot done. My daily habit is to rise early, get coffee and spend a few minutes checking on what happened over night before getting to the page. This early morning writing is when I wrack up the […]
I’m leaving for France (Paris and Ceret) soon. I’m not one of those people who pack and repack a week ahead. No, you’ll find me throwing clothes in the suitcase the night before. But, and this is a big but—when the time comes for me to commence said throwing, I will know exactly what I’m […]
How I’m Feeling: The title of this post. I’m in a mind miasma. I finished the rough draft of my novel, which was such a non-event it barely even registered. No glowing feeling of satisfaction or bragging to family and friends. I just quietly wrote the last word, fell on my office floor and cried […]
After an absence of, oh a couple weeks, here I am, back with another Five on Friday. That is if I can find the notes I wrote once I got inspired about this post. Ah, here we are. I’ve got piles of papers all over my office because I’m organizing things for the new year. […]
So there you are. You've cleared your schedule and made time to write. The kids are farmed out, the dog is asleep, your partner is happily watching something stupid on TV. You open a file, place your hands on your keyboard, and ….. nothing happens. You don't know what to write. And when you don't […]
I can't figure out what's going on. I know I read a ton last month, but I can't seem to bring any of the titles into my mind. (As soon as I press publish on this post they will flood into my brain.) So here's a quick list of the books I remember: The Nightingale […]
Herewith, my semi-regular list of books I've been reading. Why? Because I love and adore reading posts what others have been reading (so write more of them, y'all). And I figure you might get a few ideas from my list. Here goes: Fiction Crossing on the Paris by Dana Gynther. (See bonus author video […]
I started this series of posts at the end of January with a blog post titled, Books I Read in January. And I fully intended to do one post a month. But then my life blew up, I got an agent, and I needed to turn my attention to rewriting my book. So my blog […]
