Gratitude
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Sunday Snippet: The Loving My Own Words Edition
When Liz and I were on retreat earlier this month, we spent a lot of time discussing our WIPs. At one point she read me something she’d just written and said, “I really love it. That’s so nice when you like your own stuff.” I had to agree. I have to confess, I am one of those writers who needs to do that—read what I wrote previously in order to get into writing mode. I sometimes wonder if that’s because I’m an editor in my heart (and in my day job), but I don’t think I’m the only writer who works this way. I’ve tried just picking up where I…
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Writing Retreat Report #3
I asked Liz what I should talk about in the report and she smiled and said, “Just that we had a good day.” And so we did. We got a lot of writing in, a lot of talking, and a lot of walking! After our writing session this morning, we walked into town for brunch at the Downtowner and wandered around a bit, although there wasn’t much to see because most of the shops aren’t open here yet. Lots still closed from Covid and actually the season here hasn’t truly begun yet. I did find a lovely pair of aquamarine earrings and Liz got a really cute top at a…
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Retreat Report #2
Hey, it’s Liz Flaherty here making myself at home on Nan’s blog. Hope you’re having a good day. We’re enjoying our time in Madison. We went out for a piece of pie this afternoon because the weather on my iPhone said it wasn’t going to rain for awhile. Well. Ahem. We did find out that all Nan’s sweetness and light (and a dose of chocolate and pecans) won’t dissolve when wet. We both thought she was carrying her umbrella when we left, and then when she couldn’t find it, we thought she left it in a store. A return stop there assured us she had not and gave me a…
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Sunday Snippet: The OMG, I’m So Excited Edition
Yup, I am about to jump out of my fur, I’m so excited! Liz and I are headed out tomorrow for our first writing retreat in well over a year and a half. Frankly, we’re both flipping around with joy! It’s been months since we’ve seen each other and I can’t wait to spend 4 days with her, writing, talking, drinking wine and coffee, eating, processing, catching up… it’s going to be glorious. The weather report for Madison, Indiana, which is where we’re headed sucks–I mean it truly sucks. Rain the entire time we are down there and cool-ish temps, so no fun spring clothes, but you know what? I…
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Sunday Snippet: The Do I Make Difference Edition
I love this bit of wisdom from John Matthew Fox—a writer and editor whose emails I subscribe to. It’s something that I’ve thought about in regard to my own books and then dismissed because it seemed unimaginable that my books would affect anyone beyond a few hours of pleasurable reading. But, as I struggled with the latest River’s Edge story—Max and Lauren’s—I came back to this snippet from Fox. Truth is, my words do matter and when I write them, even when I struggle with the story and it feels as if I’m pulling the words from the very depths of my soul, my books matter. They make a difference…
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Sunday Snippet: The Writing Furiously Edition
And so I have been, writing furiously that is. Close to 8ooo words in a week. That’s pretty heavy writing for yours truly. One thing that has really helped up that word count is sprinting. If you don’t already know, sprints are timed writing challenges that writers do together. Sometimes it’s just Liz and me, other times it’s Liz, me, and several Tule authors that get together online. We chat for a few minutes (okay, whine), and then we turn off our cameras and mics and each spend anywhere from 25 minutes to 50 minutes writing. It’s not a time for editing or research, it’s a time for getting words…
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Sunday Snippet: The Muzzy Edition
Mushy mind—it’s a thing and wow, do I have it right now. I have a very bad case of mind mush—my ability to focus and function is seriously out of whack. I’m not sure if it’s pandemic weariness or spring fever or the sinus infection I’m nursing right now, but for some reason, my brain is muddled. Fact is, I’m just not able to focus on much of anything right now. My grandmother used to say she was muzzy—isn’t that a great word? I’m muzzy. My writer friend, Anne Stuart, often quotes Anne Lamott’s story about a time when her little brother was overwhelmed with a science project cataloguing birds…
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Sunday Snippet: The I Got Nothin’ Edition
Truly, I’ve got nothin’. I’ve had an odd week, a busy week. I wrote. I worked on editing gigs. I got my first vaccination–yay! I sent the final copy edits back for The Valentine Wager back to Tule and it looks like the title may stick, which delights me. I’ve been pretty good about doing my daily Simple Abundance reading and journaling, although I wish so much that I could sketch. Do you ever wish for a talent or skill that you absolutely do not have? That’s the one I want. I see these lovely pencil sketches and colored pencil drawings and I want like anything to be able to…
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Snippet Sunday: The Here’s an Actual Snippet Edition
I know, I know, I’m calling these posts Sunday Snippets and I’m not always posting snippets. Mostly because I don’t want to give too much of the new series away, particularly since the first one isn’t due to release until early 2022. That’s a long way off! But I also want you to remain interested in River’s Edge and the folks there. So here’s a quick snippet from The Valentine Wager and a couple of pictures of River’s Edge in winter. Enjoy! A familiar frisson of excitement tingled through him as he approached the cedar-and-glass building that overlooked the river. It was the same adrenaline high he got when he…
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Sunday Snippet: The I-Think-I’m-Breathing-Again Edition
I don’t want to be political here–frankly, I’m tired of being political anywhere. 2020 was an exhausting year in so many ways, but especially politically. However, I will say this. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are a breath of fresh air in a world that had begun to stink to high heaven. I have hope that I will get to be with my friends again, go out to eat again, feel safe in the grocery store again, hell, feel safe in the world again. I’m desperate for vacations–the lake, writing trips with Liz, a wine-tasting trip with Husband, and a writer’s retreat with my fellow Tule authors in 2022. I…