Category Archives: writing

Putting early learning to work with literary agents

Posted on July 22, 2015 by

Recently, I had a chance to do what I do best, namely, read aloud in front of an audience. Not exactly a big claim to fame. Since I was attending the annual Pacific NW Writers’ Conference at the time, reading … Continue reading →

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Dear Diary…

Posted on January 21, 2015 by

*Dear Diary, “I walked home from school with Mary. We played at my house.  Then I practiced piano.” Ann (*reasonable facsimile of childhood diary) Lately, I’ve been thinking about journals, blushing about my own feeble attempts to fill even one … Continue reading →

Posted in aging, journaling, writing | 2 Comments

“The long and winding road”

Posted on July 29, 2014 by

By now everyone on the planet must have heard the cliché, “It’s the journey that’s most important, not the destination.” A friend who writes a travel blog (see story here)  and who traveled with her husband to Greece to buy a … Continue reading →

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From Aerograms to Instagram

Posted on February 27, 2014 by

Anyone remember ‘pen pals’? The kids your age who lived somewhere else with whom you exchanged letters about your towns, countries and lives, until one or both of you lost interest? My first pen pal was British. I saw her … Continue reading →

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My year of the horse

Posted on January 13, 2014 by

On January 31 we’ll say hello to the Year of the Horse.  According to travelchinaguide.com, “The spirit of the horse is recognized to be the Chinese people’s ethos – making unremitting efforts to improve themselves. It is energetic, bright, warm-hearted, … Continue reading →

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Going where the story takes you

Posted on August 14, 2013 by

Hear the word “research” and what comes to mind?  Laboratories teeming with pink-eyed rodents? Spreadsheets filled with statistics? Undergraduate student volunteers taking tests to predict how likely they are to do x or y when faced with an impossible choice? … Continue reading →

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Writers Conference attracts fairy godmothers

Posted on July 29, 2013 by

More than five hundred people went sleepless in Seattle this past week. I was one of them. Sleepless because we all took part in the four-day annual conference of the Pacific Northwest Writers Association, which had crammed in enough formal activities … Continue reading →

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The peril of asking for an opinon

Posted on June 7, 2013 by

Want feedback on a product you’ve created?  Be careful what you wish for. I’m still reeling from some of the feedback I received just in the past three days on a short story and the first draft of my novel. … Continue reading →

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“Characters welcome”

Posted on January 14, 2013 by

I’m obsessed with Heather, as well as a dozen of her friends and enemies.  She took over my walk at the Y this morning, causing me to lose count of my laps and then led me on a ramble around … Continue reading →

Posted in personal reflections, writing | Tagged | 1 Comment

Bird feeders and writers’ block

Posted on December 10, 2012 by

I’ve found a new distractor more powerful than the call of incoming emails and on-line news updates. It’s also a great boon to writers. It’s a bird feeder. A few years ago, my husband and I bought and hung suet … Continue reading →

Posted in humor, seasons, writing | Tagged | 2 Comments