A beautiful day is coming our way in Kentucky country today. The sun is shining. The mercury is rising in the thermometers. The flowers are blooming. Fishing worms might get drowned, and sweaters might get shucked. Spring is here and with it can come Spring Fever. Do you have it? What is it? A time for lazing in the first …
What Are We Busy About?
“It is not enough to be busy; so are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about?” – Henry David Thoreau It’s been a busy work week. Busy. Busy. Sometimes I think I might get too busy. I mean this is the second week in a row, I’ve forgotten about it being Wednesday and time to post something …
Do You Have Trouble Finding Time for Everything?
Time is what we want most but what we use worst. ~William Penn I’ve begun my next book. My deadline isn’t for several months, but a book has a lot of words and many scenes. So it is enough of a looming date, that I’m pushing myself into the ‘make my fingers touch the keyboard and crank out words and …
A Journal Writer Forever
January is speeding along and I’m working on a new novel with a working title of Where the Bluebird Sings. That’s subject to change. At this point early in the writing process, everything is subject to change. Anyway, since I’ve set a goal of a certain number of pages to write each day to move me closer to my …
Clutter, Housework, and Writing
If a cluttered desk is the sign of a cluttered mind, what is the significance of a clean desk? ~Dr. Laurence J. Peter A writer needs a little clutter going in her head. Got to pull those stories from somewhere. Certainly a swept clean mind is going to be no help at all. I first wrote about this in 2013, …
A New Book Means a New First Line
A first line of a story is the baited hook an author hopes will catch a reader’s interest so they will want to read the second line and on and on until the last line on the last page. Some readers will check out that first line before they decide if the book is one they want to read. I’ve …
Last Chance to Play My Random Line Game
I’m sorry I’m late posting the last installment of my Random Line Game. I know this is Thursday and not Wednesday, but I’ve been off the grid up in a little of the Appalachian area Aunt Perdie loved here in Kentucky. I had a few days to enjoy the beauty of the hills with the fall decorated trees covering the …
A Writer’s Random Line
“Your writing voice is the deepest possible reflection of who you are. The job of your voice is not to seduce or flatter or make well-shaped sentences. In your voice, your readers should be able to hear the contents of your mind, your heart, your soul.” — Meg Rosoff Writing is a peculiar occupation and one I’ve wanted to do …
Talking Books with Friends
Do you see some of your favorite inspirational historical fiction writers in the picture above? Five of us got together on Book Talk with Cara Putnam to talk about our books and why we like to go back in time to write those stories. Each of us has a new release and if you go over to Cara’s website here, …
The Value of Perseverance
Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other. – Walter Elliot Back in 2008 when I started this blog, One Writer’s Journal, I gathered quotes to share on the middle of the week post. Later I started doing two full posts each week and have kept it up for all these years. This post …