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 […]
What’s Your Platform?
“Platform” is a key catchphrase in the jargon-laden language of marketing. It’s something a writer is supposed to have and be able to describe, quantify, and contact when pitching a story or book for sale. Publishers want to know not just what you know, but who – and if you can count on that audience […]
Accounting For Your Time
Back in January, Wendy posted a piece about the Planner Pad – a system that helps the user organize her time and keep track of the all the events we juggle on a daily, weekly, monthly and yearly basis. The Planner Pad sounded so good, I bought one – and I love it. It really […]