Some difficulty is warranted and other difficulty I think is gratuitous. And I think I can tell the difference. ~ Billy Collins I don’t like a lot of poetry, even though I started writing it in my bedroom as a teenager, and even though when I do enjoy it, it can take my breath […]
“The words seem to be pronounced in my head, but with no one speaking them.” Amy Lowell My mother and I have an ongoing conversation through the clipped newspaper articles we send each other. It’s the only comfortable way we can “talk” about politics because our views are so vastly different. She also sends me […]
My introduction into the world of archetypes came when I was a girl by way of fairytales and nursery rhymes. To this day Rumplestilskin and the Snow Queen repeatedly show up in my poetry. When I first saw the kiln at the university where my potter son was a student, memories were stirred of Hansel […]
I’d be a terrible court reporter because I like to cover stories that are inspiring, ones that show kindness, open-mindness, people contributing something positive or standing up for what’s right. Whether it’s freelanced or an assignment, I like to find the silver lining in a story, something I can get excited enough about to want […]
“What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly.” ~ Richard Bach I have no problem starting poems or stories (like I have no problem filling up closets). It’s ending them that’s hard. Endings should look like they’ve always been there, as though there were no possible other conclusion. […]
I enjoy the distillation of words. I believe less is best, and when writing I try to leave out the parts that most people skip (as recommended by novelist Elmore Leonard). I love the one line poem, the picture that’s worth a thousand words, and cutting back the rose so more blooms will grow. But […]
When it was first suggested that I write a story about the art and music scene in Floyd for the local paper, it felt like I was being asked to spin straw into gold. I tried to pitch a weekly arts column in an effort to break down what seemed like an impossible task into […]
When Deirdre from Writing Anam Cara tagged me to list three pieces of writing advice, I thought “only three?” Of course the real trick will be taking my own advice: 1. Commitment: Be prepared to spend an inordinate amount of time fiddling with words. Carry pen and paper with you everywhere, even to the mailbox. […]
“My edge is dull.” That’s it. It comes to me and I say it out loud. After an intense period of writing back-to-back and with nothing new now to sink my teeth into, I’m in between projects, avoiding unpleasant chores and any all-consuming activity. But shouldn’t I clean up the boxes of Christmas stuff still […]
DID YOU HEAR THAT SOUND? I JUST FELL OFF MY CHAIR!!! That’s what I said to my friend, Patry, after reading an email she sent to me with a subject line that announced: Strangest Coincidence Ever. I had stumbled upon Patry’s blog nearly three years before, intrigued by that fact that she was a […]
AKA: Computers aren’t the only things with hard drives that crash. My blog is the driving force behind my writing. It’s the place where everything starts, the day to day marriage between my love of the written word and my love of record keeping. If my published writing was a theatre film, my blog would […]
When I’m searching for something to blog about and I’m feeling uninspired, I’m like a doctor with a hammer trying to get a reflex. When I finally land on an idea that kicks, I know I’ve hit the right one. ~ Colleen When I first started writing I didn’t know that I was a […]
