The night of our first date, I watched for him out my bedroom window. He parked on the street which was silvery with earlier rain. A couple house down, he crossed the street at an angle, his long coat making him look far more romantic and heroic than he could ever possibly be. The coat …
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.
It is all in the numbers.
Isabel Allende begins every novel she writes on January 8th. Lots of hopeful writers begin their first novel on November 1st thinking that 30 days and 50 thousand words will tell a story. Julia Cameron says to write 3 morning pages a day to reach far enough into your creativity. Joseph Wambaugh says he writes …
This thing doesn’t drive itself.
I came out of the bookstore, walked around the truck, unlocked the door, and got in. I waited there in the passenger seat. Then I realized I'd gone shopping on my own and had driven myself. Ah. I glanced around to see if anyone was looking, got out of the truck, walked back around, and …
Bachelors and Books
He was a Cosmo Bachelor-of-the-Month. My friend, M., had snagged a date with one of those men featured by Cosmo magazine. He was a surgeon and he'd picked her letter out of hundreds. The night of their date was the same night M., I, and our undergrad had planned to go see Toni Morrison speak. …
Playing Instead of Writing
Write-in Originally uploaded by mapelba A book review about A.S. Byatt's new book explains Byatt's dismay at adults who like Harry Potter and other such nonsense. So, are you a childish adult? I carry action figures around with me and I read Harry Potter. Maybe the magic in my novels is another symptom of refusing …
Nanowrimo Midnight Write
Nanowrimo Midnight Write Originally uploaded by Bizarre Star I'm doing NaNoWriMo again. It's hard to explain, but do you need me to?
Sharing the Dead
"It's a comedy," my friends said. When we pulled into the parking lot, I realized they'd lied. They wanted to see Alien 3. They thought that if they got me to the theater, I'd have to watch the movie. Then I'd realize how much fun scary movies were. "You can go see the movie if …
It is all material–even the dead.
"What do you think happens after you die?" my mother asked. We were in her car driving I don't know remember where but the road was lined with pine trees and it was a long drive. The conversation started with one of those psychology quizzes about finding a key and coming to a body of …
I’m old news already.
Just read this article on the BBC about artists who use text in their work. Well hey, I've never been ahead of fashion. Fiona Banner documented the car chase in the Steve McQueen film Bullitt as she was worried there were no great literary car chases. When you write or make art, do you try …
Danger. Distraction ahead.
It is difficult sometimes to tell the difference between a tool and a toy. I just got Photoshop... What toys are distracting you?
Marta Pelrine-Bacon 