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 …
A couple of years ago (it surprises me it's been that long) I serialized a work-in-progress--The Fairy Tale Asylum. Some lovely writer friends gave me feedback, and now I'm trying to finish it up. Oh boy, are there a lot of changes! I struggle to know when a story is finished. I'll rewrite forever. More …
A home that caught my eye in Salem. Definitely not the house I grew up in. In grad school, I had a final exam with a one word question. We had to write about this one word. (For the life of me, I can't remember how much time were were given, but it was at …
Sharing scenes from my current novel-in-progress (maaaaybeeee novellaaaaa...) has been quite the experience. So in no particular order... ...it forces me to write something. I promised to send people scenes every Sunday, and I haven't missed a Sunday yet (17 Sundays so far!) ...it pushes me through my fear of judgment. The fear is still …
I've been sitting here for an hour thinking about what to write. I had ideas until I clicked on "Add New Post." Making art and poetry and stories is what I do even if it is not enough. I have added more installments to The Fairy Tale Asylum for those of you reading along. Thank …
In my last post, I talked about my ongoing story that I'm sending out via Tiny Letter. Every Sunday I send a new installment. I've sent 9 so far. Now a few more of you signed up! THANK YOU! Tiny Letter is a free platform and an extremely pared-down version of MailChimp. (I do still …
When I was a toddler, my mom spent time in a hospital in Tampa. It would have been in the summer of 1971 or 72, right around the time of The Baker Act. I don't know if that had anything to do with her time in the hospital. I know that she tried to harm …
If you subscribe to Tiny Letter, you've already got this. Also, I think I've finally figured out how I'm handling this from here on out. Thanks for reading! The Fairy Tale Asylum: Scene Six Nurse Stillmark walked calmly down the hall. She looked straight ahead. Looking at the security cameras was a mistake. Looking …
I'm too tired to comment on the state of the world. Here's more story. The Fairy Tale Asylum: scene 5 Hannah delighted in the thrill of adventure. Once she and Clem had snuck up onto the roof of the school during a pep rally in the gym. They’d spotted two teachers kissing the parking lot …
Marta Pelrine-Bacon 