On Writing
Fear
My nightmares usually involve something chaotic: fog that splinters into a million pieces, cylinders that appear at random intervals, imposing pine trees with branches that aim to mutilate, shots of color that seem to cover everything. I’m not sure where the dreams originate, and I don’t have them too often, but when I do, I…
Read MoreFinding That Groove Again
My parents live a half mile from me. This short distance was by design: when we moved them here, we chose the best, close nursing facility so that I’d be able to see them often. And in the days before COVID-19, I visited them every day. Now, I can only see my mom a few…
Read MoreThink Like a Writer in 10 Minutes A Day
It’s not often I have a guest actually write for the blog. This is my space after all. But sometimes, I believe in writers so much that I want to directly share and promote their work. And today is one of those days. I’m so pleased to have Katharine Grubb here today. Katharine is an…
Read MoreSummer Check-In
A day ago, an acquaintance asked on social media how everyone was doing. I rarely spill much on social media, but I hadn’t seen this person in about eighteen years, and she was seriously asking how her people were doing. In addition, I figured it was time for another check-in. Back in April, at the…
Read MoreWhat’s New? (That Fateful Day)
Father’s Day. 2012. A trip to the grocery store. Me. The man behind me in line. He and I spoke for two minutes before I left the store, headed to my car, and drove away. I thought about that innocent conversation for the time it took to drive home. And then, before I could even…
Read MoreWhen I Grow Up
Many years ago, when my twins—who turned eighteen in January—first discovered The Magic School Bus series, I remember thinking, “When I grow up, I want to be Ms. Frizzle.” Ms. Frizzle is the hilarious, knowledgeable science teacher who makes learning fun and takes her students on fabulous adventures (to the ocean floor, inside the human…
Read MoreSpring Check-In
Checking in almost midyear (well, spring, really) isn’t something I normally do. After all, we’re all busy, and talking about that busy is boring. So I won’t do it. But I made a promise to myself in January, before all the rigmarole of COVID-19, when I said that I was “taking hold of this new…
Read MoreWho Knew?
My computer took a brief hiatus, which sent me into a tailspin. What about all my writing? Had I backed any of it up? What about that manuscript I’d been working on for a client? Was all that work wasted? I’m happy to say that all files are safe and sound, but do you know…
Read MoreFinding My Voice
When I first began writing, my goal was mainly to share anecdotes about my day with the kids, or to keep record of something smart and pithy that one of them said. The act of writing served to lift me up, but it also made some of what I was doing more concrete. As time…
Read MoreA Swift Kick in the Pants
Dear Ms. Schultz, I have always noticed the color of people’s eyes. Maybe it’s because vision is important to me (I’ve worn glasses since I was five years old), or maybe it’s the artist in me (getting just the right colors together for a drawing or cake decorating is especially important). But the myriad pigments…
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