Well, once again it is the time of year when I’d like to post up how my writing progress has gone for the year (and, if you’re curious, you can compare this year’s progress update with last year’s here). Progress updates are a funny thing. They imply a need for quantifiable achievement, and it is definitely true that I do like to tabulate things, probably more than other people would consider healthy (hence, the bottom of this post with my…
This summer I went to see a movie in the theater. This was sort of a big deal for me because, between one thing and another, I hadn’t been to a movie theater in many years. (Also, the last movie I saw in a theater was…ah…disappointing. (IT WILL LIVE FOREVER IN MY MIND IN INFAMY!)) But I saw that Twisters was in theaters, and a) an action movie is usually a safe bet at a theater—the big screen makes action…
Alright! It’s November, which means that (at least theoretically) all of the roses that were going to bloom in my garden have done so, and now I get to show them off. If it sounds like I’m a kid showing off their Christmas presents, that’s because I do quite love my roses (definitely more than my gardening skills warrant). These aren’t exactly prize-winning flowers, but I’m going to show them to you anyway! Before I begin, though, I have to…
I don’t really believe in ghosts. Or, more accurately, I think I believe that if ghosts exist, they do so in a way that’s just not relevant to me, that our worlds are completely separate, and that theirs does not affect mine. I’m pretty sure that’s what I believe. It can still be fun to indulge in a good ghost story on occasion. Especially around Halloween. Ghosts, and ghost stories, I think, have a way of connecting us very deeply…
Today I need to write something positive, just cuz. So, here’s a blog post about some random ‘favorites’ of mine…with certain follow-ups. First up: Favorite Colors Yes, kindergarten is over thirty years behind me, and yet I am still going to tell you about my favorite colors. I really, really like colors, okay? …Which means I can’t possibly have a favorite. But some colors I adore are: So, what’s more wonderful than gorgeous colors? Gorgeous color-combinations. A single, flat color…
So. Sometimes, reading other writers’ blogs, I’ll read about the sort of research another author might put into their story. Maybe they’ll (1) talk about traveling to a relevant city (not exactly within reach for most of us), or pouring over Google maps of a relevant city (definitely sensible – sounds like a lot of work though – so, maybe a reason to avoid contemporary settings if at all possible?). Or (2) they’ll call up or interview an expert or…
This post is mostly just going to be pretty pictures. This summer, we went on an overnight backpacking trip with my dad in the Bitterroot mountains in Montana, on the trail up toward Glen Lake. My dad remembered the trail as very forested, but since he’d been there last, wildfire had gone through and taken out nearly all the trees. So, instead of a shady forest, we had a very sunny trip, with lots and lots of wildflowers.
Well, it is time for another round of Quirky (true) Stories. This time, I have a theme, which is: The evidence I have so far accumulated that many cartoon tropes (and cartoon-style physics) are, in fact, based on pure reality. Evidence the first: Cockroach encounters. Okay, to start, I grew up in Montana, where we kinda, mostly don’t have cockroaches? I mean, maybe we do, but if so, they keep a very low profile. So, the first time I ever…
(Warning, this post contains a lot of exclamation points.) Okay. It is time to tell you about another piece of art that I really love. Ta Da! This wonderful book (Trees A Visual Guide by Tony Rodd and Jennifer Stackhouse) is an example of a niche art-form I will call Coffee Table Reference Books. One might be tempted to label it as simply a Coffee Table book considering that it has such beautiful, glossy photos and such beautiful commitment to…
Last year, after I had finished posting all of the installments for my first SSCS (Because the Desert is a Great, Broad Beast of Memory),I put up a post talking about different aspects of the story and/or the writing process, in the same vein as the pieces authors sometimes do when, for example, they’re doing a blog tour to promote their new book. Now that all of the installments have been posted for my most recent SSCS, How to Catch…