I am real good at literature. I read it well. I write it well. I thoroughly enjoy it. I intuit it well. I went to school for English literature. I was editor-in-chief of my college literary magazine. I was an assistant editor for a big publishing company. I was a freelance editor. I’m a writer,…
There is nothing new under the sun, is there? And with ever-advancing technology and a growing (and growing) world population, there’s less new under the sun now more than ever. We are exposed to more than ever before, and there are just more options! And more options! More options worldwide and yes, more options in…
Oh, I can read like a champ. I mean, I can get all snuggled up in a corner of the couch with my favorite Navajo blanket and a glass of ice water, a black ball-point pen and a Burt’s Bees chapstick and read for hours. And I cover some ground, man! I can read fiction…
Smile, Sisters, and Drama, by Raina Telgemeier. All three are Middle Grades graphic novels, the first two memoir and the last realistic fiction. They were published in 2010, 2012, and 2014 (not respectively). They have all been NY Times bestsellers and have won numerous awards. Smile For me, a sad part of reading a graphic…
The idea for this blog post originated somewhere in my brain after I had read Stephen King’s On Writing and before I stumbled across a particular article on writers and money. In other words, some time in the past five to ten years. A couple weeks back, I found a link to THIS ARTICLE on…
What has happened to time? (Despite the fact that it is now flying by at exponential speeds (which I am told gets worse and worse as you age)?) I don’t know about you, but time here has busted right up. You see, I have ADHD. (Surprise! Just kidding. I write about this like once every…
Later this week, I am going to write a bummer of a post on how moms are almost excluded from a work-and-write lifestyle. Next week, I plan on reviewing Conan Doyle and sharing how I am mad at the internet. So I thought we should have a bit of uplifting, first, and talk about the…
When I was just a wee writer, having “published” my first book in elementary school with rubber cement and wrapping paper, I kept a box of “Write On!” next to my typewriter. A brief search on the internet reveals that you can’t buy Write On! anymore. At any rate, Write On! was a heavily shellacked,…
I quit NaNoWriMo. Gasp. Shock. Awe. I’m not only known for my lofty goals and ridiculous to-do lists, but also for my stick-to-it-iveness and my affirmation that being a writer takes great determination and longevity. So how can I stand here and just say it. I quit NaNoWriMo. On the third day, no less! For…
It’s funny how many times in the past week I’ve had this conversation: Me: I’m doing a Kickstarter campaign. Them: [blank look] Me: You know what Kickstarter is? Them: No. [apologetic look] Me: [deep breath, settle in for slightly boring explanation] Do you know what crowdfunding is? Them: Oh yeah! Kickstarter. I know it. Somehow,…
Recently I witnessed a most miraculous transformation, as a self-proclaimed political poet showed up to a local reading group and read what was his “first attempt” at a short story. It was so decent (read: better than decent) that I was further in awe when he shared offhandedly that it was completely not autobiographical. Besides…
I have been having such a good time journaling, lately. Now, I have always been a journaler, which is not surprising, as a writer. I have also always been a doodler, which also isn’t surprising, as a visual artist. (I also love photography, which means, taken all together, that my family is going to have…
Many of the things we need to know and learn as writers (and/or publishers), we need to know and learn for life. I often find that something from my personal life applies to this blog because, let’s face it, maturity as people helps us toward maturity as writers. Of course, there are job-specific things to…
Searching for Sugar Man, 2012, a Swedish-British documentary directed and written by Malik Bendjelloul and about musician Sixto Rodriguez. Perhaps you don’t know why I would be reviewing this movie for a writing and publishing blog. Well then, just hold on tight and I will tell you. After I tell you this. It seems like…
A few days ago, my nine year old daughter received a letter in the mail. It was from her last year’s teacher. Now, my children are in a smallish Montessori school, which means that they switch teachers and classrooms only every three years, and each of these transitions is somewhat of a big deal. Both…
When I was a kid, I was labeled “not sporty.” I was also never described as “adventurous,” that I can recall. Ideas of sporty and adventurous in my culture were limited to things like basketball and Lewis and Clark. As I got older, I realized a few things about that: one, sports are not limited…
Time for another writer-related movie review: Girl Most Likely (2012; originally Imogene). This one came completely out of the blue. Despite always having my writer-related-movie-radar up, I had not heard anything about it. My husband just randomly picked it off of Netflix because it has Kristen Wiig in it. We were, then, pleasantly surprised. Now,…
Last fall, when my youngest kid went off to kindergarten, I went full-time (six hours a day during school days) as a writer and publisher. The year turned into three novels at different stages of production: one is in the later stages of editing, and two are half-written. Now that summer break has arrived, I…
I know that many of the people who follow my blog are not writers or publishers. I also know that, as a writer, I often get in a discussion (about being a writer) with people who have a very hard time understanding what I am talking about. This is because of the revolution you didn’t…
Welcome to this Monday’s edition of the My Writing Process Blog Tour. Don’t know who’s been following along, nor how long it has been chugging, but it is now my turn. You can try and track the thread backward, or wait to go forward as each new Monday arrives. Either that or just read this…
the starving artist 