In a love / hate relationship with this story. It tugs at me. I shove it away and it crawls back in, sneaking through the cracks. I try to ignore it but it screams. I love it achingly and intensely but it overwhelms me. Can't sleep because it talks to me constantly, but when it … Continue reading Portrait of the Artist Mid-Revision
Category: Writing
Blow, blow thou winter wind
I remember being a choirgirl in the early 90s learning melancholy songs about winter and snow and slumber. 60+ kids from 9 to 18 years old would meet in a college classroom on Saturday mornings, but when we got closer to our concert dates, we'd meet in a rather non-descript chapel on a college campus … Continue reading Blow, blow thou winter wind
Poetry!
There's a lovely literary journal called Arkana - "a literary journal of mysteries and marginalized voices." And Issue 13, which I've linked to, features one of my poems entitled Sleeper. This poem actually started out as more than one poem that found their way together and merged into one. It was inspired in part by … Continue reading Poetry!
The overwhelming awe of betrayal
A year ago, someone accused me of something in a bit of a bizarre way. I shoved it aside for a while, but it turned up in my brain again recently. Brains are strange like that - pulling up things you thought you'd moved past, or had completely forgotten, dusting them off and handing them … Continue reading The overwhelming awe of betrayal
“Sometimes an accusation is a confession”
Have you ever read something that hits you hard and you can't stop thinking about it? Usually that happens to me with novels, but I came across this quote somewhere in the wilds of Instagram recently. It struck a certain chord because there's a real-life theme here that many of us encounter in our lives. … Continue reading “Sometimes an accusation is a confession”
Through the screen doors of discretion
I woke up this morning with a Dar Williams song stuck in my head, which is never a bad way to wake up. The specific song dredged up by my subconscious was Iowa, one of my favorites from her. The internet informs me that it came out in 1996, which was a pinnacle year in … Continue reading Through the screen doors of discretion
I Remember… [writing exercise]
Part 1: Start out every line/phrase with "I remember" and see what emerges. They key is not to think about it too hard - just write. My "I remember" exercises tend to be a mix of my own memories and things that emerge from the worlds and characters I create. Feel free to write this … Continue reading I Remember… [writing exercise]
Unmoored
Every time I finish a writing project and put myself on hiatus, I end up feeling all weird and anxious and like I'm forgetting to do something really important. It's much worse this time, because I've become so disciplined about writing that now I feel almost a bit lost. I have other writing projects I'm … Continue reading Unmoored
Music to write novels to
Do any other artists find that creating is easier with the right music? I have extensive playlists named after various characters that I use when I need to get into a particular character's point of view. I have playlists that elicit setting for me in some way. And I have some that simply evoke a … Continue reading Music to write novels to
It begins… [writing exercise]
[Instructions: Begin writing with the words "It begins..." When you get stuck, or come to the end, start over again with "It begins." Lather, rinse, repeat.] It begins with a subtle shift – so subtle that it’s barely perceptible. A glance, or lack thereof; a sigh, an averted gaze. Then it widens. Silence where there’s … Continue reading It begins… [writing exercise]
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