Life
Story Time
Once upon a time not so long ago, there was a woman who wanted to be a writer. Actually, she was a writer, but she didn’t know what to do with her writing, and since she placed her family’s needs and wants above her own, those writings collected dust in a box in a closet…
Read MoreLife Lessons from Mom
When I stand in front of the classroom, I always tell my new crop of students two things: I talk way too fast—and I know it—and I get the hiccups often. The same would probably apply here if I were to read this aloud, and today, I give you one more warning—I might not make…
Read MoreHow to Handle Self-Doubt
Disclaimer: Profanity ahead. All four of my children are good writers, but only the youngest enjoys it. Which is great for me, as she and I swap plot lines and brainstorm ideas and figure out how to up the stakes. She’s an excellent writing partner, though she can’t read all my work (she is only…
Read MoreClosed Door, Open Door
Today marks my last day as an editor with Literary Mama. I started there in January 2014, after sending them a letter that basically said, “Hire me! I’m enthusiastic.” Of course, I had a few editing credentials to my name, too, but Literary Mama had confidence in me before I had confidence in myself. They…
Read MoreAnother Year Older
My birthday has come and gone, and here I am, another year older. But am I wiser? That’s a question I like to ask myself. I’m not sure I have an answer though. Of course for me, the answers never come quickly—my mind doesn’t work that way. Even when I taught every day—a subject I…
Read MoreAt Least a Little While
Here we are, at Wednesday of this week, and so far, I feel like it should be Friday. Actually, it should have been Friday at the end of Monday, but it wasn’t. What a shame. None of the events of the week have been onerous, per se, but because the kids head back to school…
Read MoreFinding Myself Again
On Wednesday, October 22, 2008, I decided to take over what had been, at that time, my husband’s blog. Tim is a fabulous and gifted writer, but he’s not a consistent writer. And in those days, my plan was to “update a blog once a week so that [our] little ‘buckets of sunshine’ [could] be…
Read MoreMissing Out
Literary journals uphold standards by following a style guide. Literary Mama uses The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) as its guide, though we do have our own in-house style guide for a few items. One of the standards we follow is to italicize book titles. That choice might seem inconsequential to you, but to someone…
Read MoreThank You, Podcast Host, for Helping Me Take My Mental Health Seriously
Had you asked me a few years ago if I’d categorize myself as an overly anxious person in need of mental health therapy, I would have said no. Sure, life’s twists and turns tripped me up and tackled me at times, but I didn’t truly believe the state of my own mental health needed to…
Read MoreA Night at the Library
If you look up the word “introvert” in the dictionary, my picture should be there. It’s not. But it should be because I am one of the most introverted people (at least from my perspective). My need to rest and recharge—alone—is so great, I could easily move away from my family for a bit of…
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