It has been an interesting week. I could share all the details, but trust on me on this: It has been an interesting week. Now “interesting” is a vague word, I know. Do I mean interesting-bad or interesting-good? Well, yes. Yes, I do. One of the interesting events of the week was getting this blog up and running again. For …
In Others’ Words: Fairy Tales
As a little girl, I read fairy tales. I enjoyed Walt Disney’s animated version of Cinderella and Snow White and Sleeping Beauty too … and even embraced the updated version of Beauty and the Beast and Rapunzel. (Tangled? Loved it and laughed through it.) So maybe it’s no surprise fairy tales show up in my second novel, Catch a Falling …
In Others’ Words: Answers
Remember when you were in school and sometimes — oh, happy day! — the answers to the math problems were in the back of the textbook? Of course, copying the answers was cheating. And doing so didn’t help you master algebra or geometry … but you did finish your homework a lot faster. I haven’t stumbled across any book …
In Others’ Words: Youth
I attended a writers retreat in Monterey, CA last month. The theme? Dream Big. There was a lot to love about those three days. Just look at that first sentence again: I was at a retreat. With other writers. In Monterey. But the encouragement, the time, to dream and dream big? I don’t want to forget that. And then I came …
In Others’ Words: Glass
I knew what today’s post was going to be about last Friday. I thought about the whole “glass half full” versus “glass half empty” mindset all weekend long. Me? I used to be a “glass half empty” gal. Somedays I wasn’t even sure there was even more than a drop of water in the glass. Two things changed my perspective: …
In Others’ Words: Nonsense
Sometimes I have to remind myself to have fun. Relax. Stop being so, so serious. Yes, there are deadlines to be met. Children to raise. Problems to be solved. (Insert yours here: ____________.) But there has to be time for laughter. Nonsense. A little bit of “what if” and “why not.” All the “shoulds” waiting for your time and attention? …
In Others’ Words: Author Whispers
Writers try to get so many things right. We try to figure out when to follow the rules — and when to ignore ’em. We try to make our fictional characters true to life so that readers talk out loud to them as they turn the pages of our novels. (Come on, admit it! You’ve done it too!) We try …
In Others’ Words: From Here to Eternity
I often talk about my pursuit of the To Do list. I have to admit, crossing things off that thing gives me such a feeling of satisfaction. For that moment in time, I know I’ve accomplished something: met a deadline or finished laundry or made that all-important phone call. But the days — the moments — I’ve stayed true to …
In Others’ Words: Refusal
Last Monday’s blog post, “Hope and Having,” spurred a lot of conversation — including a fun bit of back and forth with my friend I call “Wise Guy.” If you’ve read this blog for a while, you’ve probably heard me mention “Wise Guy” before. I call him that because … well, he is a guy who is very, very wise. …
In Others’ Words: Writing Road
Just having a bit of fun here today. I read this quote and thought: Where else does writing lead to? Writing leads to … late nights and little sleep. Writing leads to … the red pen. (I’m an editor. What did you expect?) Writing leads to … a serious break with reality sometimes. (The voices in my head are talking …