I subscribe to a ridiculous number of newsletters and, of course, I can't keep up with them: Interview Notes, The Imperfectionist, The Whippet, The Art of Noticing, Claudia's Many Worlds Vision, Anti-Racism Daily, Feminist Giant, Austin Kleon, Notes from a Small Press, Rob Brezsny's Astrology Newsletter, Intimations: A Writer's Discourse, I Barely Live in this …
How goes National Novel Writing Month, you ask? Okay. Maybe you have not asked, but it is a question I'm asking myself. I've managed to pick up a cold this weekend, which hasn't helped. (I've taken two covid tests, and both came up negative. And I've checked various websites about symptoms--cold, flu, or covid19? Cold. …
Twenty years ago, when I first heard of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), I thought, "Whoa. That's madness." But I was also intrigued. The next week year, I gave it a try, and I loved it. Did I write the best novel ever? No. Of course not. Some folks complain about NaNoWriMo producing too many …
I've finished NaNoWriMo! I have not, of course, finished the novel. It's a massive rewrite of a previous NaNo novel. I scrapped half the plot and took the story in a new direction. Now there's a ghost! No, it's not a horror story. The ghost has a lively (lively?) personality, but the story is really …
I'm usually torn between being inspired and discouraged. When I was a kid, my mother believed in being honest. Perhaps her own mother didn't outright lie, but she certainly wasn't forthcoming. And after the divorce my mom did her best not to speak ill of my dad, but she did in a moment of anger …
The bewitching season is coming to an end. I wish I'd done more to celebrate, but this second job gobbles up great chunks of time and energy. Tonight, I'll hangout with a neighbor at the end of her driveway. We'll give candy out to kids who walk by. Several families moved onto our street this …
I've been making handmade books, and most of them have had simple covers with the design that happens to be on the paper. Now I want to make covers of collage or with objects. And I want to clear out a lot of items I've accumulated over the years by making things. They won't have …
These are strange days indeed. I'm teaching from home, which is weird, though I'm getting used to it. I might be coming out of the creative fog I've been in. Don't want to jinx it, but nevertheless, here I am, testing fate and hoping for the best. Years ago one NaNoWriMo, I started this story …
I just had a birthday, so I'm in a reflective mood. Certain calendar days will do that, right? You know what I don't really need? More unfinished stories. Finish the thing! Doesn't Neil Gaiman talk about that? You can't get far with a bunch of unfinished pieces, no matter how shiny they are. Therefore, it …
Welcome to the magic season! What wonders are you hoping for as we hurtle through these last months of the year? Because this is my birthday month, it's a time when I like to contemplate more where I'm going and where I've been. Also, I must work on my Halloween costume! This year's costume should …
Marta Pelrine-Bacon 