I have mixed feelings about self-help books. I recently read a scathing piece on the self-industry which characterized self-gurus as con artists convincing you that you are inadequate so that you'll buy more products promising easy fixes. Well, some doctors sell you snake oil and some doctors make you better. So while I may have …
Last year, I wrote this to welcome our travel into the New Year. Hardly seems adequate looking back. The Winter Solstice brings us the longest night of the year. It carries us into winter, a time to burrow in and reflect on where we've been, what we've done, and what the future may hold. And …
Twin Peaks: The Return would've been perfect for 2020. Or maybe it would've been the end of me. It's hard to say. Except that I love the way Twin Peaks made me feel--absolutely bewildered and dazed. In real life, I like these feelings a whole lot less. Is this year a dream or a nightmare? …
When I started participating in Story-a-Day in 2010, I chose a theme. That had to be the best way to approach coming up with an idea every single day for a month. That first year, the theme was fairytales. I took famous objects (a red hood, a poisoned apple, a pair of dancing shoes), and …
I was going to write something completely different, but I've forgotten what. As some know, my mother died of an aortic aneurysm when she was 45 and I was 21. In early November, someone I grew up calling Aunt (but who is not genetically related) almost died of an aortic aneurysm. Thankfully, she is recovering. …
I don't remember what I was thinking when my mom took this photograph of me. Probably something along the lines of "I hope this is the pose Mom wants." She took her photography very seriously and I was pleased and terrified when she wanted to take photos of me in my ballet costume. I was …
I decided a while ago to self-publish a selection of short stories. They are almost ready. I'm working on a cover and pondering a release date. It is definitely scary to do. I tend to think of who will and who won't approve. I think about my own ability to promote it. There's a lot …
Home My dad made things. He still does even though he is much slower. When I was a kid, he made normal things that were a bit different. He made a divider for the living room. It created a sort of foyer. It went from the floor to the ceiling (about 8 feet tall). The …
If a fairy godmother showed up at my door, I wouldn't ask for a ballgown or shoes or an invitation to a ball. I'd ask her to tell me where to begin. I thought I knew, but then I sat down to get to work. These manuscripts and art projects stare at me. Each one …
Focusing on the bright side feels like a challenge in these pandemic times. We've had two deaths in the family this month--an aunt on my side and an aunt on my husband's side. (They had nothing to do with Covid, just to be clear.) I have friends going through chemo and other friends struggling with …
Marta Bacon 