Back in 2019, I wrote a post called Can We Force Inspiration? I was preparing for NaNoWriMo and I was empty. I wondered if pictures, stories or anything would help. Was it possible to actually force inspiration? Writers are clever and creative. Why wouldn't it be possible to study an image on Pinterest or look at… Continue reading Can writers force inspiration?
Almost Fifty
Is this really it? Is this what life is like now for me who's less than a month from turning fifty years old? Fifty years old! And all I can think is--how the hell did that happen? Wasn't it just 1981 and my family moved to rural Beltsville? The library was an old trailer down… Continue reading Almost Fifty
Location, Location, Nope
When I was a kid, I longed for something different, something more than my suburban Maryland neighborhood gave me. I wanted to be at the beach in Ocean City, or in the desert in Tucson. I loved traveling because that meant I didn't have to be in the same boring places all the time--my house,… Continue reading Location, Location, Nope
Happy Place
Where is your happy place? Most likely, your answer depends on how old you are and where you are in your life right now. Our happy places change as we change. Or maybe not. It would be fascinating to find out. Anyway, recently I was thinking about a place that was special to me more… Continue reading Happy Place
When characters talk to you
I've been writing fiction for many years, but when you're young and unguided, the stories don't amount to much. It's only when we can connect and understand our characters that their stories take form. It's when we listen to our characters and write what they're telling us. For a lot of people, this doesn't make… Continue reading When characters talk to you
Why Memoir
I've been writing what feels like my entire life. I remember loving books as a kid and creating my own and giving them to my mom as gifts. I wrote poetry (and still do) and short stories. There were many attempts at novels, but at my young age, those didn't get far. In middle and… Continue reading Why Memoir
Taken again
A long time ago, I wrote about chasing people. It was right after I discovered a close cousin/friend cast me and all her family and life aside to run away from home and start a new life. Now, I understand that desire. Many times in my past, I wanted to move away from everything and… Continue reading Taken again
Safety in Obscurity
***I wrote this post over a year ago but I never published it. I was hurt and angry about my first one-star rating. I'm sharing it now to see what you think and how you feel about the criticism and rejection all writers face.*** I got my first one-star rating today. The dreaded one star.… Continue reading Safety in Obscurity
Accepting Unwanted Change
A year ago, I developed an eye disorder that I know now is called Binocular Vision Dysfunction. How did I develop it? What caused it? I still don't know. But it's a part of my life now. Funny how life can change so fast. An unwanted change. Last February, Brian (my husband) and I were… Continue reading Accepting Unwanted Change
Living in the light
Death has been a theme in my writing for a long time. I didn't realize I wrote about death until recently when a friend pointed it out. It's true. My fiction is filled with all kinds of death themes, but they're not necessarily morbid. Death is a part of life for all of us, but… Continue reading Living in the light
The Second Chance Writer 