October 23, 2009

National Novel Writing Month looms

So you've always wanted to write a novel, but something keeps getting in the way. You don't have the time to do it. You don't have confidence in your abilities. You don't, you know, have an idea for a story. Never fear! National Novel Writing Month is here.

June 22, 2009

Confusing

I have been searching and yet still have not found my voice.

Consider the world, and I am small and easily lost.

June 17, 2009

Lost?

Like a word search puzzle, I scramble to find words to write. The page remains blank. Looking for inspiration in everyday life has not been easy. I’ve stood beneath trees, sat near grass, purposely pursed conversations that might be put to paper – still nothing. Is being at a loss for words symbolic for being lost?

May 4, 2009

Writing a book...do I have what it takes?

Writing a book seems to be on everyone's "To Do" list, but something that most people never do. Sure, talking about writing a book sounds like a great idea. But actually sitting down and committing to it? Thats an entirely different story.

Writing is something that has always come fairly easy to me, and unlike many of my peers, I enjoy doing. And, just like everyone else, writing a best-seller is on my "To Do" list. It's always been a thought that was floating around in my head, but lately I've been thinking very seriously about it. I just have one problem- I have no idea where to start!

April 15, 2009

Taking the plunge

It's funny how sometimes events in your life take you along familiar roads, over and over again. I was thinking about that last week, when I found myself walking across a beautiful college campus, on the way to giving a reading from an essay of mine which appears in this wonderful book. It was a proud moment for me, and I was nervous and excited all at the same time.

February 18, 2009

My son, the blogger and President-to-be

When I came home from work, my son stood at the front door with a red notebook in his hand. "I am a blogger, Mommy,” he announced. “Do you want to read it?" I really just wanted to first get in the door, undress, and get relaxed, but…. “Let me see,” I said. He had a few entries. There was one about his bed, one about lunch, and the one I want to share. It is entitled, "My President."
February 3, 2009

Numbers

I think I jinxed things royally last week when I wrote about L.'s diary writing. Although I did know it wouldn't last forever, I was hoping he'd found at last a pressure-free way to practice writing, under circumstances he controlled, and at times he--and he alone--picked. We've been struggling for years to help L. break through the barriers he sets up (and faces) about writing.

January 29, 2009

What's in YOUR closet?

Yesterday was a little crazy, all of it--the whole day. At the end of it I couldn't find much I wanted to write about because most of what I would have written about seemed whiny and self-pitying, or included rants about health insurance claims, playground injustices, the weather, and kids who spill hot chocolate on your favorite green pants. Sometimes all these petty and not-so-petty things add up inside your head, like an overflowing storage bin, and you just want to break out the rubber gloves and a gigantic vacuum and do some major housecleaning before you truly lose your mind.

January 22, 2009

Dear Diary

L. is all over these books lately. He asked for books one and two for Christmas and I gladly obliged. He rarely expresses any interest in books that are "fiction" and not detailed guides to his latest obsession (in this case aviation). But I had noticed in the weeks leading up to the holiday break that almost all the kids in his class were buying the books at the Scholastic book fair and toting around copies of them, laughing at the jokes, and swapping "how far have you read?" challenges. When L.

November 12, 2008

Quirks

If you are involved in the world of blogging for any length of time, sooner or later you will be invited to participate in a meme. A meme, according to the trusty source Wikipedia, is any idea or behavior that can pass from one person to another by learning or imitation. In the blogging world, you can pass along fun challenges, quizzes, and "getting to know you" questions as a way of fostering further connections and providing, frankly, sometimes very welcome fodder for blog posts.

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