I first found Jen Lemen's blog via Faith at Work and am so glad of that because of entries like this:

on Letting Go of Fear and Other Things That Weigh You Down

P.S. - Check out her zine, "Beginnings".

So. Today I had a Facebook fiasco that was reminiscent of my seven-year stint as The New Girl, except I was cooler in those days and everyone under the sun and their mother (literally) did not get pitiful friend requests from "Mo Pilkington" as they did today. (Facebook basically said that "Mrs." and my real name were not acceptable for use.) It ( Read more... )

At the Brooklyn Book Festival Jacqueline Woodson spoke about accessing her own adolescence as she writes for teens; death and death of self are themes I'm exploring in a novel. This morning I thought about these words from bell hooks in her essay on "Writing Autobiography":

"To me, telling the story of my growing up years was intimately connected ( Read more... )

I had the chance study with two childhood author icons, and one of those was Madeleine. She and her books led me to two church homes, and a wonderful spiritual community. And I finally finished writing a book because she yelled at me.

The first time I saw Madeleine at church, I was too awestruck to say anything. It was not long after my mother ( Read more... )

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So anyway, I'm a very slow writer. Like, really slow. This may just be me, but I figured that I'd try something different, so I got that First Draft in 30 Days book (Like I don't have enough writing books, but whatever. I'm also gonna get this one that The Mighty Dotificus mentioned, because it's sounds good.) Anyway, I see that it's more like ( Read more... )

I'm not an Aaron Copland fan, but I like this quote that's atrributed to him ( Read more... )

"Do not hesitate to love and to love deeply. You might be afraid of the pain that deep love can cause. When those you love deeply reject you, leave you, or die, your heart will be broken. But that should not hold you back from loving deeply. The pain that comes from deep love makes your love ever more fruitful. It is like a plow that breaks ( Read more... )

"I want to write books that, if they had hands, would grab you by the throat."
-Anne Provoost

Just a couple of random things...

Muriel Gray thinks women writers suffer from 'rural schoolteacher syndrome'. Well.

I read that just as I was wondering if my MG was too 'quiet'.
I am having a hard time choosing between WIPs to focus on. You know when the characters are all screaming "Write about ME! Write about ME!" And then you end up writing ( Read more... )