Most of the time, I’m a reasonably sane human being. When I go to a writer’s conference, though, I am suddenly reminded of stories from the olden days. Stories about movie starlets being discovered while sipping a malt at the soda shop. I always have this absurd idea that I’ll pitch an idea to an [...]

Saturday was a rare Stay-Home-Day for me. (That’s what some of our grandchildren call Saturday. In my day, Saturday was called Cartoon Day, but now cartoons are on 24/7, so that doesn’t work. But, I digress.) Which is exactly what I did on Saturday!!! For several days, I’ve been feeling these random writing projects swirling [...]

Let’s be clear. I am a writer. And I like to sell stuff. Essays, articles, stories. A novel would be nice, though I have not experienced that one yet. Being paid for my work makes me feel validated. Affirmed. Legitimate. No matter how many times my husband tells me I’m a great writer (which he [...]

Last week I heard from one of the editors who helped form me as a writer. It has been more than twenty years since I submitted my first article to him, and we stay in touch. The magazine he worked for no longer exists, but the lessons he taught me remain. One lesson is how [...]

This is a shameless plug. I’ve always believed if I checked the mailbox faithfully rain or shine, one day it would reward me with wonderful things. Two of those arrived this week. First: (here’s the plug) This book compiled by James Stuart Bell with a forward by Gary Chapman and (drum roll, please) a story [...]