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
Tag: 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!
Embracing villainy
I've always been more interested in villains than in heroes. A well-written, complex villain is thrilling - I'm drawn to stories in which the villain is sympathetic, or relatable, or has moments where you understand the reasoning behind their villainy, or there's something about them that draws you in and makes you want to know … Continue reading Embracing villainy
Creative Resistance
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
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
Magic and muses
There's a magical thing that happens sometimes with any creative process. I had characters and a setting and a vague idea of what they might be up to, and I let it percolate in my head for around a year. Simmering there, in my subconscious and memories and neurological coding, and then all of a … Continue reading Magic and muses
The end of all things 2021ish
It's the end of another calendar year, and it's tradition to have new year's resolutions. I don't do that anymore. My goals are ongoing. But I do like to reflect a bit, because one thing I've noticed as I've traversed further into adulthood is that if you're willing to work at it, your level of … Continue reading The end of all things 2021ish
Give yourself the gift of anger
I found this in my online travels, and since I'm not much for the "traditional" Western Christian version of Christmas, I thought - here's an actual useful lesson for the holiday that purports to be about lessons: It's okay to hold onto anger. You are not obligated to forgive. Not "because it's family." Not "because … Continue reading Give yourself the gift of anger