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IWSG: Chicken or the egg?
What comes first, the chicken or the egg? The question I’ve been asking myself lately in the same vein is, should I go to a writer’s conference this year, to help motivate me to finish my first book, or, should I commit to finishing the book and then reward myself with a writer’s conference? Having the discipline needed to write…
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Wildlife car rental
Update: A mouse’s point of view I was driving to work today and had just driven up my street a bit when out of the corner of my eye, a little gray mouse ran from under the passenger side seat and up under the dashboard. At first, I wasn’t sure what I saw but then it registered. Yes, indeed, I…
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#CTST: Fresh berries!
Celebrate the Small Things: I am celebrating fresh berries! They are a favorite of mine. Add them to pie crust and they are just about nature’s most perfect food. I like Grand Traverse’s Mountain Berry Crumb pie and enjoy a slice anytime I can. Over the weekend I was craving fresh berries (in pie form) and found this wonderful recipe…
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#CTST: Starbucks!
In Celebrating the Small Things, I have to applaud Starbucks. One day this week I had a warm, chocolate hazelnut croissant and a Chai tea from Starbucks. It was heavenly! I don’t ordinarily promote corporate establishments but I had been having a hard week. Work was busy and I had a pinched nerve in my neck. I finally broke down…
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#CTST: Snow and winter!
In Celebrating the Small Things, I’m celebrating snow (and the beauty of winter) today! I’ve always loved snow. And, I’ve discovered that not everyone is enthusiastic about snow as I am. I try and temper my excitement but it can be difficult. Especially when snow is accompanied by 8-degree weather! Snow brings into focus attributes of nature that don’t always…
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IWSG: What writing rule do you wish you’d never heard?
When I went to journalism school at the University of Colorado, Boulder, we were taught to report the facts – the who, what, when, where and how. And, to get that information into the first paragraph (the “lead”). So, when writing fiction, it’s nice to have more leeway in including emotion and description into my imaginary stories. Fewer rules result…
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Grandma Rose’s lemon bar recipe – yum!
In a recent post, I mentioned that baking during the holidays reminds me of my family traditions, and my Grandma’s wonderful recipes – many of which I compiled into a cookbook. I make these around Christmas time but they would be good at Easter or for a potluck – really anytime! Below is her recipe for Rich Lemon Bars. Her recipe…
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Baking and Christmas memories
My family doesn’t have many Christmas traditions but I treasure the ones we have. Baking sweet treats during the holiday is one of my favorites. My Grandma Rose was the master baker in our family. She played bridge with ladies each week and they took turns bringing a dessert. Between her friends and Grandma’s eagle eye for yummy recipes in…
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IWSG and CTST: Favorite aspect of being a writer?
Celebrate the Small Things – Being a creative writer! Entry for November’s Insecure Writer’s Support Group: If you enjoy writing, which I do, there is nothing in the world like the feeling of writing fiction. There is something magical that happens when I begin to think about a story idea, then imagine characters and what their lives might be like…
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Visiting Lincoln’s boyhood home
I’ve lived in Indiana for more than 11 years and didn’t realize that Lincoln’s boyhood home was a few hours south of me. I’ve heard all about the memorial in Illinois and plan to visit it in the future but I hadn’t heard about our own historical jewel. My friend and her husband let me tag along on their trip.…
