There I was in my bra, surrounded by strangers, while a man hit me repeatedly in the head with his hat… So. I drove my brother’s pickup to the Rooney Valley Recycling Center to unload the juniper branches and sod I’d removed from my yard. I paid $10 at the gate and the woman told … Continue reading Have I Got a Story for You
This could’ve been a truly awesome photo. Imagine a large white cat stretched out on the backside of the hanging shirts, staring through the multi-colored plastic hangers with yellow-green eyes. Imagine a self-satisfied expression on that white cat’s face as you struggled to understand how he got there. Imagine being frozen in place as he … Continue reading Every picture tells a story
My revisions are due to Claudia in two days and I’ve still got lots to do. I’m cutting some stuff I hope to use later, adding new material to make the story flow, and moving scenes around. Claudia said during our last meeting, "I think I’m better at structure [than you]." I had to … Continue reading Mentor Monday: Storytelling
Yesterday, Zippy told Wildebeest a story from when we lived in Alaska (before Wildebeest was born). It was a summer night, and Zippy and our dog Packy were out in our large yard where there was a pile of branches and grass clippings left by the previous owners. (We, being basically lazy people, had left … Continue reading Twofer Tuesday: bee tales
For someone who’d supposedly sworn off men’s college basketball, I’ve sure watched an awful lot of shooty-hoops over the past ten days. As in, nearly every single game played. My bracket is an abomination due in large part to not having watched any games or read about any teams or players this season. I was … Continue reading Sunday Confessional: my March madness
Monday evening, my mother-in-law died. Contrary to what books and movies would have us believe, not all mothers-in-law are control freaks who believe no one is good enough for their sons. Some are kind, loving, and supportive. It didn’t feel that way at the start. The first time I met Alice was when Zippy brought … Continue reading My mother-in-law was no stereotype
Here are two of my favorite things: honey bees and lavender. We still have a few late-blooming stalks of lavender (this photo was taken a couple summers ago), but not a lot of bees around. Which is why I was surprised over the weekend while reading outside on a bench I’d pushed up against the … Continue reading Twofer Tuesday
I just listened to HUNKY DORY while lifting weights. That might seem an odd choice for pumping iron, but I’ve lifted to that album many times. As I posted back in 2007, HUNKY DORY is one of my desert island picks. I’ve loved it ever since high school when I’d close myself off in my … Continue reading David Bowie: Kook Extraordinaire
(1) Zippy and Zebu were at the tail-ends of their colds when I got sick two days before we had to start our drive to Washington. Of course. We left on Thursday morning with a big box of ultra-soft tissue and the rental car trunk loaded with Zebu’s stuff. We’d chosen a Chevy Impala for its … Continue reading Friday Five: The Next Chapter
Looking at photos on the computer, I came across this: This picture is in my bedroom. I bought the print when I was pregnant with Wildebeest because of the Kurt Vonnegut quote from God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater.** One night while we were reading in bed, I mentioned to Zippy that I needed a new writing project. … Continue reading One Novel Idea
Bob Dylan turned 70 years old today and in honor of his birthday, I’m sharing 70 Dylan-related memories: 1) I joined the Columbia Record Club when I was a kid and bought lots of early Dylan records for not much money (because he was a Columbia artist), eventually defaulted on my membership and then had … Continue reading My Top 70 for Bob Dylan’s Birthday
Yesterday I blogged about my preparations forthe Denver rally held in support of Wisconsin workers. Today I am back with a full report. The good news: the weather was beautiful and lots of sane people showed up. The bad news: a bunch of ill-informed, resentful people also made an appearance(one person … Continue reading On Wisconsin!
A couple weeks ago I wrote about my panic overcharacters revealing themselves. Wise writer-friends weighed in on how they enjoy this aspectof novel-writing because it means (among other things) thatmy characters are still speaking to me,and that I’m getting to know them just as I get to know people in real life,and that I … Continue reading Plot Revealing Itself?
When is being nice too nice? Stupid? Or even dangerous? Last night I walked out of a store to the parking lot. An old, loud truck passed me. As I reached to open my car door I heard "Excuse me, ma’am." It was the guy in the truck. He had a story about being stranded … Continue reading Big heart, not so big brain
A day to remember Garrison Keillor January 21, 2009 One simply wanted to be present. Freezing cold or not, a crowd of 2 million, whatever—solemn warnings about tight security, long lines, traffic jams, cell phones not working. In the end, one wanted to be there on the Mall before the Capitol on Tuesday at noon … Continue reading Through Keillor’s Eyes
kellyrfineman got me thinking about books I loved as a child. She’s currently going through some old favorites, identifying those positive story elements that might shape and inform her own writing projects. As I read her posts, I wondered if I could remember why I connected with certain books. Some of those books and the … Continue reading Why I’ve Always Loved Pippi
I appreciate the congrats on the progress I’m making but feel I must clarify my word count goal. Not because I’m neurotic (well, I am, but not in this instance) but because if I read about another writer churning out 1k words/day, every day, I might feel a bit intimidated if I was already in … Continue reading Getting Closer – Clarification
I wanted to update you on the race since your good thoughts were with me as I ran but I was absolutely exhausted all day yesterday. I could’ve dropped in to give you a short version of the events but so many thoughts/epiphanies kept bouncing around my head and I really wanted to do them … Continue reading Bolder Boulder Experience
Saturday night Zippy and I went to Red Rocks for the concert. Mavis Staples – WOW!John Butler Trio – very good.Michael Franti and Spearhead – TRANSCENDENT. One of the most moving experiences of my life. MF is angered by the daily dose of bullshit and criminal behavior we’ve been subjected to for the past six … Continue reading A little of this, a bit of that
First the laugh: I got tired of referring to my guys as Elder, Younger, Mate, etc. when posting on LJ and so asked them to supply me with identities for my journal. Please allow me to introduce: Zippy Ramone (formerly known as the Mate) Wildebeest (formerly known as the Elder son) Zebu (formerly known as … Continue reading A Laugh and a Sob
3,645 / 38,000(9.6%) So I’m creeping along on this project, reassuring myself that while the words are coming slowly, they are, for the most part, quality words. They are words that tell a story I care about and though I don’t spend much time thinking about potential readers, my gut tells me others will care … Continue reading Who Cares?
Tracy Abell 