Have you ever been in an abandoned house? In 2001, This American Life told a fascinating story of a house whose family disappeared. And certainly, even if we don't venture inside, we've all seen houses that appear abandoned. Do you ever wonder what's inside? What happened? Why do people just leave so many things? Sometimes …
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 might have finished my novel, The Book of Astrophilia. I say might...it is hard for me to know when something is finished. I'll rewrite forever. And I haven't had a beta reader or anyone give me feedback, and that is part of the process. So is it finished-FINISHED? Well, I've done what I can …
My mom told me I learned my color wheel before I learned my ABCs. It surprises me now how I struggle to use color in my work now. In a high school art class, we had to draw a scene and then paint it. I loved my pencil drawing. It was of my best friend …
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 …
Yesterday, I said I'd make something everyday. Today, I made a tiny book and did some writing. (It's impossible for me to share everyday, but I'll post when I can.) I worked on my story The Princess Detective. Here is a scene an early chapter of the manuscript. The Princess opened the door. “Jaffine!” Indeed, …
I like the Story-a-Day prompts. Sometimes I follow them as they are, but often I adapt them to fit what I want to do. And sometimes I ignore them. To me they're suggestions to help get you started, not binding contracts. Since I already have a something of plan--the stories should fit into my Telling …
Story-a-Day May continues! Today has been an off sort of day. I never quite got the hang of today. But I did sit down to add another story to the collection of Telling the Future with Illustrious Ladies. I don't want to share full stories on my blog, but the start of the second story …
I love StoryaDay. Often when I post about it, someone tells me why they can't do it. And there are many valid reasons for not taking part. Nothing is for everyone. (Well, air. That's generally for everyone.) So my love of it and participation in it is not me knocking on your door like a …
As some of you know, I created a Patreon. You may also know StoryaDay May is about to start. And the pandemic is taking a toll on all of us, one way or another. I'll keep making things and writing stories regardless. Some things I share here. Some things I sell on Etsy. Other things …
Marta Pelrine-Bacon 