"The only real access that I have to my mind is when I'm writing." – Kay Ryan
If you get a group of writers together in a room, the “What do you write” question is probably the first thing that is asked. And, it’s a question I’ve come to dread. I have two short stories published. One is a contemporary romance, while the other has a fantasy setting. I’ve written a mystery... Continue Reading →
I’m going to write a little bit about how I use the Scrivener writing program for my writing. But first, in the spirit of full disclosure, I want to note that I am an employee of Literature & Latte, the software company that makes Scrivener. This blog post is not a paid endorsement by Literature... Continue Reading →
Before other pantsers get up in arms about today’s blog title, let me reassure them: I am not talking about outlining today. I’m still a diehard, let’s-dive-into-this-project-to-see-where-it-goes pantser, so no one needs to panic that I’m about to wax rhapsodic about the beauties of creating an outline before writing a story. Today, I’m talking about... Continue Reading →
I am halfway through my holiday break from work, and it’s a good time to check in on my writing progress. Unfortunately, I don’t have nearly as much progress to report as I had hoped. So far, I was only able to get writing done on the 17th, 18th, and 23rd. I was fighting a... Continue Reading →
Photo by Andrea Davis on Unsplash My employer gives all of the staff two weeks off each December for the holidays. This is time off that does not count against our PTO, which is used for federal holidays, vacation, and sick leave. In return for that chunk of time off, they ask that we periodically... Continue Reading →
I have the good fortune to be attending the Writer Unboxed On Conference. For those who aren’t familiar with Writer Unboxed, it’s a writing community “dedicated to publishing empowering, positive, and provocative ideas about the craft and business of fiction.” They have a regular pool of writers, agents, and editors who contribute to the site,... Continue Reading →
A quick perusal of social media shows I’m not the only person who is struggling to maintain any kind of normal routine.That’s not surprising. We’re still mired in COVID lockdowns. We’re seeing repeated reasons for social and political unrest: Police shooting Black, Indigenous, and other people of color and not being held accountable for it.... Continue Reading →
Howdy, y’all. Thanks for sticking with me, despite my occasional flaky behavior.Somehow, I didn’t get a blog post written last week. Although I’d have bet money that I wrote one and posted it. But I can’t find it in my files or on the website. Maybe I dreamt I had?I’ve had a LOT of truly... Continue Reading →
My spouse and I have watched Charlie’s Angels (the one released in 2019) every night since Mother’s Day weekend. I’ll start off by saying that I really don’t understand why it has only a 51% rating on RottenTomatoes.com. Actually, I can probably guess why it has that rating, but I think that rating is horseshit.... Continue Reading →
A lot of writers have already crafted posts and articles with tips on how to be more productive during the shelter-in-place orders that so many of us are facing. The Internet is full of resources for learning new languages, improving our baking skills, exercising at home, and homeschooling advice.We can find lists of the must-watch... Continue Reading →
Ruth F. Simon 