I’m making pies this year for Thanksgiving. If you have never made a pie from scratch, the pumpkin pie is a tough one. I know it looks like a fairly straightforward pie, but it can be a nightmare. You need to hit somewhere between smooth, custardy, pudding and earthy, root vegetable, without falling into snotty,…
We are What We Believe Ourselves to Be. I have these little quotes, word groups, prophetic prose, that I print and magnet up on the board behind my computer. I face a wall in my office, so I try to make it a pretty wall. These little statements usually change every week. Sometimes they are…
Characters. When I write, it starts with the characters. Some writers are inspired by places, or objects, or scenes. I need the characters first. I have to know them, all their wonderful qualities, what makes them tick, how they’re damaged, and their quirks. Quirks are my favorite, I actually collect them. They make a character…
Above all else, I like quirky. Add intelligent to quirky and I’m a goner. I love John McIntrye. You may, or may not, know that he was the copy editor and is now a production manager for the Baltimore Sun. No, I do not live in Maryland, but he is a pretty big deal. Mr.…
This post will be reminiscent of that co-worker who brought in the gift wrap catalog for her child’s school fundraiser, or possibly the crazy Girl Scout cookie mom. For those of you not yet in the workforce, this post will feel like that friend who always asks you to like every Instagram picture of her…
It’s possible there is something wrong with me. I mean more than just my usual human deficiencies. This goes beyond my normal neuroticness (not a word, but it should be), past the fact that I leave my shoes around the house. It seems bigger than the fact that I organize things and then can never…
Writing is an interesting pastime, job, hobby, passion. Whatever you want to call it, it’s a unique way to spend your time. I write when I’m sad, frustrated and most of the time when the stories or voices in my head will not be quite. I have to consciously make myself write when I’m happily…
I remember Katlyn’s first day of kindergarden. I put her on the school bus because she wanted to be a big girl and take the bus. I then proceeded to follow the bus to the school so I could make sure she made it and take pictures. She was my first and I was a…
Lots of people write, or want to write or try to write. When I used to sit in conference rooms, bored out of my mind, I’d pretend to write, but I guess that’s different. Writing is one of those things that does not necessarily have to be creative. We all do it in some…