I miss adverbs of the -ly variety. In writing, some tell us to rewrite in order to avoid adverbs as an entire part of speech, much less the -ly ones. OK, I get that. If we take the time when writing or editing we can refine a [VERB +...
Small World Snydrome
While at the 2017 Writers’ Police Academy this year in Wisconsin, I was pleased to make the acquaintance of Dr. Katherine Ramsland. I attended a lecture of hers on suicide notes and found her to be a very dynamic and knowledgeable speaker. Then due to some other cancelled courses,...
At the Speed of Fun
Exciting times, people, exciting times. The writing is going well. Not fast enough for hubby, methinks, but well enough for me. :0) This summer has just flown by and while I know where it went I’m still amazed at the speed of fun. Hubby and I went to Alaska...
For Want of a Nail
We’ve probably all heard this little tale in one variation or another. Wikipedia attributes this particular version to DC Comics. I like this version because it includes a Knight in the logistics chain, but I don’t like the last line so I put in the one I prefer. Overall, I...
Not Everybody Loves Parfaits
Despite what Donkey and my husband say, not everybody loves parfaits. Layers, on the other hand, layers are good. That’s my excuse for running behind on my self-imposed schedule. Today, I’m supposed to be embarking on the actual writing portion of my work-in-progress and what am I doing? Layering. Plotting....
Top-Down
Some writers are “seat-of-your-pants” scribes, others are “top-down” organizers, and many fall anywhere in between. I’m squarely in the top-down category whereas my brother’s a self-described puker, which is something somewhat more extreme than seat-of-your-pants writing. What follows is by no means solely (or even largely; or even much at...
Coincidence?
Early last week I considered the Tao of the Hiccup. I’ve since decided the hiccup-inspired character is going to be a dragon. Since then, {hic} several times when I’ve been at my desk actually working on the novel (as opposed {hic} to surfing the internet or doing homework or staycationing as I had planned) I’ve...
Future Dreams
10 now down to 1. Today = my last day of day-job work for about 16-18 months. Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeha! Noooo, I’m not going to prison. I’ve been voluntarily included in a workforce reduction which nets me enough severance and other payouts in the bank to take a hiatus from the...
Tao of the Hiccup?
“Grr says ‘hiccups’,” my husband calls out while walking up the stairs. This is not the first time he’s thrown that statement my way. “Noooooo” I reply, rolling my eyes and laughing. And yet. Hiccups. Hmmm. No, no, it would be uncontrollable, I mean, do you know anybody who...
Pre-Procrastination
For the last couple of weeks, I’ve been pre-procrastinating. With my last day of day-job work looming I’ve spent weekends and evenings doing some of the things that I know would otherwise cause me to procrastinate once I’m officially writing full-time. Revamp this website. Done. Start blogging. Done. Add...