Tag Archives: writing advice

And So It Begins

by

The end of a year, the first of a year…the whirlwind, a moment of peace, then whoosh! Another January is off and running!

It takes half the month for me to catch up from holidays and the rest of the month to get ready for a new year. The catching up is mostly packing up, and when I was (much) younger, I’d do it all on New Year’s Day. Then I pushed the clean-up through the Feast of the Epiphany. And now…well, let’s just say I’m done by MLK Day (ish).

I’m pretty okay with that. But before MLK Day, I had a work deadline–a post due over at the Muffin. Eek!

Fortunately, it coincided with Mister Man’s birthday. And as I think about him especially on his birthday, and how grateful I am to have had him in my life, it was easy-peasy to write “What You Need for a Successful Career.”

Shortly after I wrote that post, I came across some sad news from an old friend, Elizabeth Dulemba. She’s an illustrator–now an art professor–and we served together in SCBWI Southern Breeze. She’s one of those generous people in the arts who always seemed to be lending a hand to someone or something. If you’re in SCBWI–particularly in a region in the southeast–you probably know her. You may not know that she recently lost her husband, Stan.

Well, not lost, really. I’m sure that like my Mister Man, her Stan is always around, watching over her. But it’s tough when someone leaves too soon, and as much as one might feel that loving presence, there’s plenty of practical stuff to deal with every day. So I’m sharing her GoFund Me page for him/her if you’d like to help.

Eventually, which is really just another word for saying I could no longer make excuses about “Christmas Cleaning,” I got back to budgets, and To Do Lists, and Work. And work was primarily my cozy mystery, which is really not work at all if we’re talking the writing of it. The formatting of it, and all that jazz, is a whole ‘nother story. If you’re thinking about indie publishing, you might want to read my last Muffin post, “Know Thyself, Writers (And Would-Be Publishers.)“

I’m very close to being done with the front cover, the back cover, and everything in between! Next up is building the new website and marketing and such, and honestly, I’m already exhausted just thinking about it. So Libs and I are going to take a nap to rest our brains.

Right after I wake up Libs and tell her we’re heading upstairs.

Ah, Spring! Ah, Poetry! Ah-choo!

by

Despite the soaring pollen counts and the jungle that used to be my yard, I love spring.

I love walking outside and seeing a bunch of tiny daffodils peeking through pine straw. I love chocolate bunnies and jelly beans, little kidders in their church finery, with Easter baskets and bonnets. I love the explosion of azaleas blooming at The Masters and the excitement of the highs and lows on that Sunday as golfers make a run for the green jacket. I love digging out my sandals from the back of the closet, and sitting on my deck, reading (and sneezing) in the sunshine. There’s something poetic in the air when spring arrives.

I know booksellers and teachers and poets and the like got together and chose April for National Poetry Month ostensibly because it was available and people could celebrate with a high degree of participation. But that sounds awfully stuffy and dry, doesn’t it? I’d rather think it’s because April is right there in the midst of spring when the earth is coming alive again, just like words come alive in a good poem. Rebirth, renewal, rejoicing!

I hope your April has been glorious and that you enjoyed a poem or two. If you haven’t got round to the poetry, here’s a list of 10 Classic Spring Poems Everyone Should Read and I liked Dr. Oliver Tearle’s choices. I have to admit that it’s The Waste Land by T. S. Eliot that always comes to mind in spring but only because of that well-known first line…”April is the cruellest month, breeding lilacs out of the dead land…” Maybe in an English Lit college class long ago, a professor made me read it, possibly explained it, but it’s just that line that’s stuck with me.

I don’t believe April is the cruellest month; maybe one day I’ll write a poem titled “April Sings of Hope” but until then, I’ll keep writing at the Muffin. This month’s offerings, “New Tricks” about learning my lesson when working on novel edits, and “I Get By with a Little Help from the Pros” where the advice therein is great whether you’re a writer or new car owner.

Which reminds me…I need to figure out where the button is that will spray my windshield. It’s a pollen-y mess!

Cathy and Libs ♥ (who is on the prowl for snakes because yeah, April is Snake Month, too)

Well, This is Awkward

by

I forgot June. I forgot my password to get into WordPress. I FORGOT HOW TO BLOG HERE.

But in my defense, I have not quite got the hang of everything here at WordPress since I switched to posting just once a month; I have to re-teach myself every single time. So I think forgetting my password and the mechanics of this platform is completely understandable. Now, forgetting June…I’m going to blame that on the beach.

I spent the entire month, walking (and dodging bikes and skateboards) and eating my favorite seafood (when I could get into the restaurants) and sprucing up the house (technically, it was just cleaning and painting two rockers).

The rockers would be much more impressive if I’d taken a “Before” picture but trust me when I say they were a dusty, spidery mess. And now they’re quite pretty, right? Anyway, the point is, June was a busy month, what with all the rest and relaxation and occasional eating and painting.

But I didn’t go full out Beach Bum. I got my work done over at The Muffin…

There was Bad Writing Habits, Part Deux where I fessed up to all the quirky (yet adorably) bad writing habits I just refuse to give up. Bet you can guess a couple of ’em without even reading the post (but go ahead and read it because they’re just that adorable).

Then I shared Confessions of a (Non-Professional) Book Reviewer and if you have a published book, you’ll want to give this a read to see what makes me review a book (and maybe see how you can get your book(s) reviewed).

Next up was Just Start Over, where I had one of those days where nothing was going quite right. But I have a trick for days like that, and it’s a handy trick for life and writing.

Which brings us to today’s post, aptly called Getting It Done With Pre-Writing. I didn’t do much thinking up stuff at the beach but I did read a lot, getting myself primed for writing. Or technically, pre-writing. Once home, I had this brilliant idea and…well, you can read all about what I do with a brilliant idea over at The Muffin.

And I’d like to say that August will be different. That I’ll whip out some incredible pre-writing not to mention a new blog post here without having to get a new password and such.

Yep, that’s what I’d like to say. But I’ll probably go back to the beach for a couple weeks…