I like stories that build on other stories. Lat year, for Story-a-Day-May I wrote a series of fairy tales I called The Fairy Tale Asylum. Not every fairy tale worked, but I liked the challenge and the series--and maybe one of them will be published (maybe not--see previous post--but let's be optimist!). This year another …
Author: mapelba
I'm a writer, artist, teacher, mother, wife, daughter, friend, coffee addict... What else? A success, a failure, a mess, a fan, a hater of housework, a lover of dogs, a liberal, an obsessive, and a bunch of other things that probably would never occur to me. I reveal myself in more ways in my writings and art than in any list of adjectives. And whoever you are, I hope most of all that you are a reader.
neurotic writer encouraged to new neurotic heights
About seven years ago, I submitted an essay to an anthology. The editor accepted it! My first acceptance! I told everyone. When I checked the publications website, my essay wasn't there. I sent the editor and email, and she apologize profusely. The postings were still in progress. Of course it would be there. She assured …
Continue reading neurotic writer encouraged to new neurotic heights
but it is a very long way to swim
I've been staring at a mountain of words. Maybe it is a pit of words. No. An ocean of words. Everyone says to just start. Pick up a story and start the rewrites, the editing, the polishing, the reconstructing. Yes. I know. Take baby steps. Take a deep breath. Dive in. I feel a bit …
The conversation goes like this…
My husband and I are in the car on the way to his mother's house. It is my husband's birthday. I'm driving. He calls his to tell her we are about half an hour away, and I hear mention apple pie. When he hangs up, I ask, "She made apple pie for your birthday?" "Yes," …
Surprise!
I saw who the email was from and sighed. How will this rejection be? I wonder and click on the message, face slightly turned away, wincing. We would love to have your story appear in our 13th issue, scheduled for publication in May 2011. It will be another week or so before I can send …
Curtains and Mind Tricks
Memory is a trickster. Your memory is likely not what you think. Mine doesn't half tell me what I want to know, and sometimes it holds my present mind hostage. You may know that old post of mine about the man at my window. Like with many life stories I've posted here, I did not …
The New Year and the Old Years Long Ago
New Year's Eve I finished reading Girls of a Tender Age, a compelling and disturbing memoir. Mary-Ann Tirone-Smith writes about her childhood and the murder of a childhood friend. The story would've caught me even if a classmate of mine* hadn't been murdered back when I was in the eighth grade. She was not my …
the pain of it
A pain expands in my chest when I read or hear great writing I wish I had written. This is not a metaphorical pain. And like wishing for money to solve financial problems or for a pill to vanquish food poisoning, I wish to have written something brilliant. Why does it matter?
It elementary–character.
I've watched this new Sherlock series--and enjoyed greatly. Since childhood I've loved mysteries: Sherlock Holmes, Perry Mason, Agatha Christie,... Scooby-Doo. But anyway, Sherlock is possibly the most filmed literary character ever. What makes this character fascinating? And when I watch the new Sherlock dash across the screen, I wonder about the ability of Sir Authur …
A Boy
When my son was five, he made friends with a boy who was nine. We were neighbors. The boy lived in a one-bedroom apartment with his dad. The boy spent a lot of time with us. One day he showed up at noon and didn't go home until eight. Not once in those hours did …
Marta Pelrine-Bacon 