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Poetry and Snow
Snowy Thoughts My window frames a soft painting In shades of white and grey and brown Tree bows weighed down By the cold, fluffy presence of water Water that will melt and flow When Spring finally sneaks in Weeks from now, to claim Her place on the wheel of time But she slumbers now, beneath The blanket of quiet that comes In Winter’s white rest The lake sleepy beneath its ice Clouds cloak the sky, a lazy Ceiling of floating vapor Crystalized and released To decorate the waiting world Beneath the earth-warmed ground Roots and seeds and creatures await Biding their time like thoughts Seeking the perfect season to grow…
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GONE GIRL Messes With My Mind
I was up till 1 a.m. reading Gone Girl the other night. Then I was up another two hours thinking about it. Note to self: don’t read a psychological thriller before bedtime. My unsettling dreams included someone trying to strangle me with my braids. But, wow. Gone Girl. Yes, this is the first time I’ve read this book. Yes, I’m aware it’s pretty much required reading for writers. Yes, I totally get why. The writer in me is enthralled with the genius in Gillian Flynn’s craft. Writer-me admires how the characters are scary-real, the voice intimate-conversational, the story constantly unfolding with so many secrets it’s hard to keep track. This…
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Whatever You Do, Keep Writing
Some writers are blessed with muses who continuously chuck ideas at us. I’m glad to be that kind of writer. That doesn’t mean it’s easy—the more I learn, the harder I have to work at it. And, sure, I struggle sometimes, but that usually means I need to go read someone else’s writing for a while. Right now, I’m working on a series that flows from one trilogy into another. The first trilogy is something I’ve revised so many times I had to step away from it for a year. Wow, am I glad I did! There’s nothing like revisiting an old project to see how far you’ve improved your craft as a…
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Writing a Contemporary Romance in 30 Days
It’s funny, how things work out. I entered my last manuscript in #PitchWars, and then got hit with an insanely inspired idea before they even announced the winners. It’s a good thing I didn’t get in, because I would have had to switch from writing to editing, and it’s possible it would have broken something in my head to slow down this story. My latest manuscript, WILD HORSE HEART, is set for publication in May of 2017. It was a new adventure for me as a writer; one I couldn’t be more thrilled about. The premise came to me in a dream. Miraculously, I woke up and got it down before it vanished to…
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Riding the Wild Horse of Creativity
There’s something beautiful about getting to your knees in the middle of a road and scrawling in a notebook as fast as your hand can write. Okay, so it was a dirt road, and there wasn’t any traffic, but still. I continue to be blown away by the intensity of my creative process. The more I indulge my imagination, the more ideas flood in, just like this quote by Maya Angelou: “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” Maybe you know what I’m talking about. All of us have something within us that longs to be expressed, in whatever form makes sense to you, be it…
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Read a Book and Slow Down
Throughout this blog post, you’ll find inspiring quotes about books, living your dreams, and never giving up. Because I think we all need those reminders, from time to time. Life is often overwhelmingly busy. But, even though time can still fly when immersed in a good book, one thing I love about reading is the way it invites us to slow down and stop worrying. Think about it: you might feel rushed, or like you have to work as fast and as hard as you can for much of the day. On top of that, there may be something out of your control that you’re working towards, but that requires patience. I’ve never…
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Getting Distance from Your Manuscript
You know it’s vital to gain perspective on your writing, but it’s hard to do when you’re the one who has slaved over the story, loved and hated it in turns, and revised it more times than you ever thought possible. How can you be objective? What I’m finding, as I edit the first two books of my trilogy—yet again—is that the more I’ve read the story, the more objective I can be with it. But that wasn’t the case a short while ago. I seemed to have reached a tipping point. Having an editor helps. A lot. Or at least someone with a writing background (not your friends or…
