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My friend Carole wrote on her blog yesterday about being scared of the dark. I’m terrified of the dark. Actually, I’m terrified of a lot of things. I had a very over-active imagination as a child. Basements horrified me, giving me recurring nightmares where I was stranded in a basement for no apparent reason, with a door behind me that was going to open at any second and reveal the creature behind it. I would scream for help, and the tiniest squeak would come out. My movements became futile, I moved as if underwater. Unable to scream, unable to move, and then the door wouldRead More →

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  And, say, it was your birthday.  And you wanted some cool things to do with your friends.  And not cool in the way your mom, who has the best of intentions, might think of as cool, but cool. Because my wonderful daughter is going to be 14 on Friday.  She’s having a sleepover and party for a few friends on Saturday.  I’ve figured out pizza.  You can’t screw up with pizza.  I told her about this game we used to play, back when I was a cool teen girl–you know, like, a million years ago?–called “Who-What-When-Where-How-and-Why.”  That even sounds lame. But, no.  It isRead More →

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Are you a Twilight enthusiast? A Bella-Wannabe? Mooning endlessly over Bella’s identification withWuthering Heights and thinking the only thing as great as being the author of Edward would be being the author of Heathcliff? Just so you know: the author of Heathcliff was dissed by her publisher, left unpublished until he could ride the coattails of her sister Charlotte, then published in a terrible edition with sloppy typesetting and cheap paper, and ignored by the reading public, who found Heathcliff—beyond reprehensible—downright disgusting. Emily Bronte was a bonafide literary genius whose greatest work, a saga in verse, was altered after her death against her passionately-clear wishesRead More →

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I just took this quiz on the five love languages.  Apparently, my love language is acts of service. Can vacuuming the floors really be an expression of love? Absolutely! Anything you do to ease the burden of responsibilities weighing on an “Acts of Service” person will speak volumes. The words he or she most want to hear: “Let me do that for you.” Laziness, broken commitments, and making more work for them tell speakers of this language their feelings don’t matter. Which makes me sounds like a lazy, self-entitled queen.  Or it does to me.  But, it’s kind of true, I suppose.    Give meRead More →

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I’ve got this weird idea, maybe more of a subscribed belief: painted toenails equate to a flourishing, happy, carefree life.  I realize it’s not really rational.  How do you rationalize something so trivial as an indicator of something so crucial? You could look at Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, perhaps, and assume that all those lower needs (like food, shelter, safety, etc.) had been met if you have the interest to pretty up your tootsies.  But, those things, those are basic needs–not exactly a carefree existence.  So where does this crazy belief come from? This is where I would insert my awesome answer.  If I hadRead More →

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One of the few things I know about writing is this: Spend it all, shoot it, play it, lose it, all, right away, every time. Do not hoard what seems good for a later place in the book, or for another book, give it, give it all, give it now. ANNIE DILLARD via AdviceToWriters – Encouragement.Read More →

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Do not pay any attention to the rules other people make…. They make them for their own protection, and to Hell with them. WILLIAM SAROYAN via AdviceToWriters – Rules and Commandments.Read More →

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I often feel sorry for people who don’t read good books; they are missing a chance to lead an extra life. ~ Scott Corbett ~Read More →

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You need to stand out, and that means swallowing your fear (and your pride) and showing all of you, even the hidden parts. via The Babbling Flow of a Fledgling Scribbler: On Fear and Baring Your Soul.Read More →

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The only true creative aspect of writing is the first draft. That’s when it’s coming straight from your head and your heart, a direct tapping of the unconscious. The rest is donkey work. It is, however, donkey work that must be done. EVAN HUNTER Thanks to Advice To Writers.Read More →