Your agent has submitted the manuscript of your latest novel to a dozen major publishers. You are living in a strange pause, like being in a bare, sterile waiting room belonging to a stranger, where you wait for the call that will change your life. Again. There isn’t a writer alive who hasn’t experienced this. Read more about Waiting for the Call that You Think Will Change Your Life[…]
jumping on a trampoline the discovery Bluehenge tenderness
WriteSpa – An Oasis for Writers When my daughter was seventeen, and I was in my late forties, she remarked how sad it must be to grow old (she was focusing primarily on externals). I protested vehemently and pointed out that the view one has from a lifetime of experience makes all the difference in Read more about WriteSpa #8 – Writing for the ages[…]
being with teenagers Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome traveling by barge through Belgium
a pine needle path through the woods feeling brave a gondola ride by moonlight
yellow leaves at night under a street lamp traveling by train clapping your hands
finding hidden sapphire earrings that belonged to your grandmother a foot massage zhikr: the practice of remembrance
a blank notebook sailing in the Greek islands accomplishing something hard
turtle doves free-falling just before the parachute opens holding a baby
The other day I was re-reading portions of one of my favorite books of all time: Meditations on the Tarot. The card known as The Tower, or Chaos, drew me in particular. The image is of a crumbling tower being struck by a bolt of lightning. Does it symbolize justice, wrath, fate, angry gods, or Read more about Do We Build a Story, or Do We Plant It?[…]
people helping out in a disaster Wordsworth pumpkin fields
flannel sheets freshly dried in the sun a thank-you note ylang ylang
cathedral ceilings knowing what to do the taste of fresh hickory nuts
The Lake Isle of Innisfree dancing the jitterbug breathing deeply
WriteSpa – An Oasis for Writers The other day I was re-reading portions of one of my favorite books of all time: Meditations on the Tarot. The card known as The Tower, or Chaos, drew me in particular. The image is of a crumbling tower being struck by a bolt of lightning. Does it symbolize Read more about WriteSpa #7 – Planting a story[…]
an antique prayer rug from Persia going after your longing chestnuts falling
a surprise call from an old friend pear juice running down your chin a check in the mail
a night filled with thick, heavy dreams hawks playing with a strong wind letting things happen
cousins Ashdown Forest, Sussex playing with colorful glass marbles
a back rub browsing through a Turkish bazaar watching a child sleeping
the light glowing in children’s eyes the Enneagram crunching into a just-picked apple
An intriguing discussion occurred recently between some of my Twitter friends regarding book reviews. A reviewer had posted a brief disparaging piece (I wouldn’t call it a review, by any stretch of the imagination) about a historical erotic novel. Someone else had made an even more disapproving comment in response, about why writers feel the Read more about The New Book Reviewer[…]