By Vella Munn She was a tiny thing, several inches shorter than my 5’2” and maybe one hundred pounds. Her lovely white hair had been professionally styled, she had flawless skin and sparkling eyes, and her pink smock appeared to have just been washed and ironed. In contrast I looked like something the cat had…
Category: Blog
Talk to the Paw: Moody Pets
by Karen Duvall Have you ever noticed how your pets pick up on your moods? If you’re feeling down, your beloved dog or cat instinctually knows you need a cuddle. Or if you’re cranky, they may become subdued and avoid contact altogether. I’m a generally calm person and rarely get cranky (or if I do…
Looking With Better Eyes
By Trai Cartwright Part 5 of a 6-part monthly series For the past few years, I decided I wanted to get better at reviewing the medium I watched. It’s a weird goal, but one I realized was essential because every writer gives this edict to would-be writers: read. I read, you read, we all read….
Making a Big Deal Out of It
As writers, we spend a lot of time beating ourselves up. That story wasn’t good enough, we didn’t finish it on time, it didn’t sell to our market of choice, it got a bad review, I’m just not happy with it… etc. etc. Too often, we forget what a monumental undertaking writing is in the…
Listen to Your Heart
By Mark Stevens According to one website, the first draft of Garth Risk Hallberg’s City on Fire was 1,400 pages long. 400,000 words. He has since whacked it down by one-third, but the projected 900-page novel drew a $2 million advance. The deal was announced a few weeks ago. First novel. Hallberg had previously published…