Miscellaneous Musings
How Katharine Whitcomb’s Sad Poems Lifted Me from the Blues
A few weeks ago I was blue. I can’t say exactly what caused my melancholy as I rode the bus to work that day amid passengers whose ears were occluded with ear buds and whose thumbs busily scrolled the smudged surfaces of their smart phones; or as I sat in my cubicle attending to my…
Read MoreWhat I Read in 2012
I read just over 30 books in 2012. So sue me. I’m a slow reader. There was only one year when I managed to read a book a week. I’m not sure how I accomplished that since it happened when my kids were still fairly young. With work, writing and family, I must’ve stolen a…
Read MoreLies, Fakery, and Fiction
I took vacation time from work last week to work on my new novel. I wanted to put myself on track to finish a draft by the end of the year. While I made good progress, I might have made more had I not allowed myself to be distracted by the Internet. I was posting…
Read MoreThe Art of the Long Walk
When my husband dropped me off at Golden Gardens Park last Thursday for the start of the Long Walk, many of the walkers had already assembled. “That’s not your demographic,” he chuckled. Indeed, many of the participants were decades younger than I. But at 59, I’m quite fit, having been a runner for over 30…
Read MoreBlanche Ebbutt’s Advice
Blanche Ebbutt’s little book of advice was first published in 1913 in London and has since been reprinted multiple times and sold in novelty stores. It’s a tiny hardback and is literally a pocketbook, measuring 2¾ inches by 4½ inches. The title is DON’TS FOR HUSBANDS. I bought the book as an anniversary gift for…
Read MoreWhen Your Family Thinks They’re in Your Fiction
“Why did you kill me off in that story?” Some years ago my younger daughter confronted me with this question after she had read a story I had recently completed. The story is about two sisters. I have two daughters. My older daughter insists that she is the narrator in that story. “It’s not about…
Read MoreRemedies for Writer’s Envy
Writing a book seems almost effortless compared to promoting it. I don’t think I ever suffered from writer’s envy before I had a book published. I’m pretty sure I have it now. Not chronically or acutely. Just now and then. Don’t get me wrong. I’m extremely grateful for the support I’ve received from friends, family,…
Read MoreCreativity, Acting Out, and Just Plain Acting
Like most parents, I wanted to nurture my children’s creativity. At the very least, I aimed not to blunt it. Blunting it was a very real possibility during their fractious, rebellious years (which lasted from about age two to twenty) when I just wanted to command them to stay within the lines. Both of my…
Read MoreHigh School Reunion
I’m pretty sure only ten people knew who I was in high school. When I wasn’t invisible, I was pathetically visible—shy and socially inept, with an exceedingly poor aesthetic when it came to reconciling the fashions of the day—mini-skirts, hot pants, platform shoes—with my scrawny limbs. I clung to my textbooks like a life raft…
Read MorePost-party Views
On the day of your own party, can you really be coherent and composed, attentive to guests and mindful of the manners you surely possess but which seem to have taken an unexpected leave of absence? The answer for me is a resounding no. I was overwhelmed by the show of support for Wendy Call…
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