First, I have to apologize to you, readers, because this isn’t going to be one of my typical uplifting and positive posts. In fact, it’s going to be the dead opposite, and yet, I’m working toward a positive ending—a silver lining—if I can effectively bring my thoughts full circle. After this week’s rollercoaster news coming…
Category: On Life
Please, Do Not Call Yourself A Writer, Unless…
I’m a writer. I can say that now. I’ve written four fiction books and one academic textbook with my colleagues. It annoys me when people say they are writers when they are not. Have you written something today? Then you are a writer. Did you write something yesterday? Then you are a writer. You can’t…
We’re Always Getting Ready to Live But Never Living
“We’re always getting ready to live, but never living.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson I picked up this little, tiny, tiny book at the library last week called “The Law of Attraction Plain and Simple: Create the Extraordinary Life That You Deserve” by Sonia Ricotti. I can’t explain what made me grab it and check it…
Do You Believe in a Little Magic? Because I Do Now.
Today, for the first time in weeks, I was able to work in my garden. A back ailment had kept me from tending to it, and the front bed was a bit overgrown. To my surprise, as I began to examine it closer, I stood and looked in utter disbelief. And then, I just smiled….
Friday Fashion: The Commitment to Add More Color to My Wardrobe
*** Writers wear black. Lots of it. It’s kind of funny, actually, that as a lot, we’ve sort of taken this color and decided to claim it as our own. I’m not sure how this got started, perhaps because as a group we’re sort of identified as a deep-thinking with a dark side. But I…
Creating An Office That Inspires
*** Yesterday, my students and I were talking about the space in which we do our writing. All of us are inspired by different things; for me, I have to be in a pleasing setting to write. My surroundings must inspire me to hunker down and get to work. And while I will always drool…
Hurricane Evacuations
*** I drove to work this morning thinking of all the people who will be affected by Hurricane Florence on the East Coast as the storm is approaching. My family and I have been evacuated three times by hurricanes from the Outer Banks on vacations, so we are no strangers to the impending damage storms…
My Newest Writing Project
* People always ask me what I’m working on next, so I thought I’d get this out of the way. It’s a common question I field often. It may disappoint some folks, but it’s not the sequel to Inn Significant, though I still play with that manuscript a little. Instead, there’s a short story in…
Setting #Goals – The First Step in Turning the Invisible to the Visible
I use a lot of prompts in my writing classes. Today’s in-class writing prompt was this: Write about a goal you are trying to achieve. This can be a personal goal, an educational goal, or a professional goal. No more than 350 words. I decided to write along with my class this morning, as I…
The Results of My Favorite Kind of Getaway Research
Hello Dear Readers, I’m back from a fabulous weekend in Oxford, Maryland, with my husband. The Eastern Shore of Maryland is uniquely qualified to sufficiently relax you, while at the same time, invigorate your creative spirit. And if you’ve been following along on my blog for the last week, I needed the getaway so much,…
Bucket List Item – Staying at the “Real” Inn Significant
*** Tomorrow, my birthday wish will come true, thanks to my husband. When he asked me what I wanted for my birthday, I told him I wanted to stay at the Sandaway Suites & Beach in the quaint, Eastern Shore town of Oxford, Maryland. It just so happens that it’s the real-life inn that inspired my…
Goodbyes. Gripping Pain. And a Giveaway.
*** Hi there! I feel as if I’ve been away from my blog for a while, and I actually have, although it’s been entirely unintentional. Today, I wanted to explain why, especially as I wanted to write about the past week, which has been somewhat momentous for my family. My son started his freshman year…
