Last week I taught an all day workshop on voice and as I was talking to my friend about it he mentioned that the workshop was just what people who are taking part in NaNoWriMo needed. You see, writing, especially writing fast and furious during November for NaNoWriMo, comes much easier when you find your […]

I want to thank everyone who joined us this past Saturday morning for the Grand Canyon  Sisters in Crimes panel on Self Editing. It was a lot of fun, especially hanging out with Christine Estes, Susan Budavari, Denise Forsythe,  Yvonne Corrigan-Carr and other board members.  As usual, I had much to say and I believe […]

The morning skies are quiet and there’s a rosy sunrise burning through the firs. It was cold again last night–down into the 30s and I’m wearing heavy socks and I’m nestled under a cozy throw in a muted pumpkin shade. Towering storm clouds are taking over the skies this November as a Pacific front sweeps […]

You don’t need me to tell you we’re living in strange times. Let me amend that. Since much of the history of the human race  has involved all matter of weirdness and difficulties, let’s say stranger than most times. When life hands you a raw deal or heartbreak, a scary, shitshow future, or distrust in […]

On Sunday I was awakened in the wee hours by the roar of rain thundering down.  I stepped out onto my porch with it’s metal roof and stood under the clamorous power, breathing in the clouds and wet. And then it took hours to get back to sleep, but that’s another story. Later, after tracking […]

The day is starting under a smudged sky and  I’m happy to report rain arrived  last week–a lovely relief in our baked, thirsty part of the world. And autumn is in full swing–halleluja. Yesterday I walked along leaf-strewn paths on a small nearby mountain and while it’s covered mostly in Douglas fir trees, the big […]

I was moon gazing last night because I couldn’t sleep so plunked down on my front steps looking up at it’s pearly face and endless mystery. I’d recently returned a manuscript and memo to a client and so my thoughts drifted to her story and characters. And just for fun, I imagined Kate the protagonist […]

Last July The New York Times David Marchese featured a delicious interview with the multi-talented, British creative Phoebe Waller-Bridge that I recommend because it captures  a point in her career while she’s sought-after and succeeding with  exciting new ventures. Whilst she has had a storied career, bejeweled with Emmy statues and accolades, who would have […]

Another layer of ice arrived last night, which means another day of seclusion in our ongoing storm saga. Next week it’s going to warm up to the 50s, so hooray for that. But the warmer temperatures won’t revive the many fallen giants around here. Trees, that is. I’ve mentioned them earlier in the week here, […]

Reprise Again 1975. Just out of the Iowa Workshop. Working adjunct at three different schools. And when it came time to work each night, would pace, near sick with fear, before I’d sit down to try it, try putting something down, anything. I don’t know why I was afraid, since NOTHING in one day’s work […]