"The only real access that I have to my mind is when I'm writing." – Kay Ryan
I have two older siblings, and their children are closer in age to me than my siblings are. My nieces and nephews also have kids who are now in their tweens, teens, and even early twenties. From time to time, I like to sit down and write letters to my grand-nieces and grand-nephews. They don’t... Continue Reading →
A challenge I was given this week is to think about what comes after this pandemic. They asked me to identify three or four things I'd like to see change because of what we've learned. It's a harder question than I expected it to be. And I think it's hard because I have so many... Continue Reading →
My critique partners and writing instructors often comment that my fiction isn’t as emotionally engaging as it could be. That criticism doesn’t surprise me because I know that I have a deep-seated fear of my emotions. For the past five or six months, I’ve been working with a therapist to address those fears. My therapist... Continue Reading →
I used to think the idea of a midlife crisis was absurd. Why, I wondered, did so many people hit a certain age and then suddenly blow up their carefully crafted lives? Now that I’m in my late forties, I don’t find the idea of a midlife crisis absurd at all. I recently encountered Erik... Continue Reading →
In general, writers are a mass of contradictions. That’s both fascinating and maddeningly frustrating. Many of the writers I know spend a lot of their time observing the world. We study how people talk and behave to write believable characters. But writers also notice how a person’s body language differs from what that person says.... Continue Reading →
Since I used my last two posts to set up goals for this week’s at-home writing retreat, I’ll recap what progress I made and what I learned about my writing process. I’ll start with crunching numbers. In my post on May 31st, I said my goal was 2,500 words. I felt like that goal would... Continue Reading →
My two-week blogging break wasn’t planned. But I think I’m a little more refreshed after taking that break. I was taking two writing classes, and each required a certain number of reviews of peers’ assignments each week. I was feeling burned out on writing. Both classes are nearly done, and I’m looking forward to a... Continue Reading →
I saw the film “Bohemian Rhapsody” this week. I won't go into the film's flaws or how it mishandled the timeline of Freddie’s life. The film's ending focused on Queen's performance at Live Aid. The concert took place in July 1985, and I was in junior high. I remember watching Live Aid with my mother.... Continue Reading →
I don't know if writers are more prone to introspection than other people are. Perhaps other creative and artistic people also spend a lot of time in self-examination. Or maybe it's just how I function. My sense of who I am as a writer is undergoing another shift. For years, I thought I'd write mysteries.... Continue Reading →
I’m feeling a bit lost at sea this week. It’s the first full week back to work after the holidays, and readjusting to my weekly routine is harder this year. Perhaps that’s because I’m getting older. Or it might be burnout and fatigue from the uncertainty of our political mess. The rage and fear I’ve... Continue Reading →
Ruth F. Simon 