In Happy Trails, my last post before I left on vacation, I anticipated collecting stories while I was away. But one of the wonders of travel is its element of surprise: I didn’t collect so many stories as I collected pages and pages of words. Southwest Utah is beautiful and strange, a place where geology […]
Happy Trails
It’s like one of those light-bulb jokes: “How many suitcases does a writer take with her on vacation?” One carry-on with clothes and a computer, and an extra-large checked Pullman filled with papers and books. At least that’s how I’ve traveled in the past, packing reading for writing projects right along side reading for pleasure. […]
Solace & Hope
On Sunday, August 28, Irene cried on my village, destroying whole sections of it. Gratefully, no life has been lost, but friends’ and neighbors’ homes have been washed away – along with their land and belongings. Roads are gone, bridges broken. I suffered no property damage, but I am changed by the devastation – […]
Cleaning House
I spent a perfectly good workday cleaning. I started with my writing studio, a single, tiny, room. Nevertheless, I moved all the furniture away from the walls, brought in a stepladder and a vacuum and chased cobwebs out of corners. I washed the windows – inside and out. I polished the woodstove with stove black, […]
Word Order
The English language on word order depends. If that sentence doesn’t convince you, try this: Take the adverb “only” and place it in different positions in the following sentence. He said, “I love you.” (Nice thought.) Only he said, “I love you.” (No one else said it.) He only said, “I love you.” (He said […]