I am sitting here tonight feeling proud. I have all my Scholastic entries in for my students – a total of 25 – and the packet is on its way to New York City as I write. It will arrive by noon tomorrow at the Scholastic offices, a full day ahead of the deadline. Wow….
Category: Reflections on Writing
Scholastic Entries for My Writing Students
I am knee-deep in submissions for my students to the Scholastic Artists and Writers contest, the oldest and most prestigious writing contest for youth in grades 7 – 12 in the U.S. It is almost 2 am and I have been steadily working for the past 6 hours. I have 10 kids with 20 submissions;…
Book Review and Author Interview
I am happy to introduce my readers to a wonderful author, Fran Simone, PhD, who has written a heart-felt and helpful memoir entitled, Dark Wine Waters: My Husband of a Thousand Joys and Sorrows. This book recounts the author’s experience of being married to an alcoholic and is a clear-sighted look at the disease of…
Moving Forward, Albeit Slowly
I am sitting with Elena. She just gave me a pep talk about never being discouraged about my writing. It is easy, however, to get discouraged. I write, write and write and then submit (there are not three submits here since I am not as good at submitting as I need to be), but then…
Saturday Night Quotes on Writing
Here are a few of my favorite quotes on writing: “Write hard and clear about what hurts.” Ernest Hemingway “There is no denying the wild horse in us.” Virginia Woolf “Get it down. Take chances. It may be bad, but it’s the only way you can do anything really good.” William Faulkner “Mistakes are the…
A Publication!
I am happy to report that one of my memoir pieces, My Mother’s Pain, has been accepted for the 2014 True Words Anthology. This is the story of my mother’s reaction after she learned that my oldest brother, John, had been diagnosed with AIDS. I am not sure of the protocol of sharing my work…
Daily Progress, One Student at a Time
I have been sitting on this chair or standing near this table in my living room since 8 am when my first student arrived. I am not inclined to linger at this late hour and, therefore, will be writing only a brief blog this evening. I have, after all, being aiding in the writing process…
Today: Hour by Hour
I am sitting in a quiet house after a very long day of students. It is dark outside and the air is cool. It is 7:54 pm and I am contemplating heading right upstairs, taking a warm bath and going straight to bed. This is how my day went today. I am not complaining since…
College Essays, Online Classes and A New Car for Liz
I am grateful to have the work, but I am tired. I have been working straight since noon (it’s 8:30) with students on college essays, law school essays, and letters for special scholars programs. My back is aching from being bent over the computer and my mind is less that clear. I’m glad there isn’t…
Work-in-Progress: Not a Masterpiece…
I have been working on my novel in progress. This book is a big stretch for me. It’s about a 17-year-old rural Texas girl, Hannah Price, who is gifted at playing the violin and has been preparing for months to go with her music teacher for an audition at Juilliard. However, just a week before…
20 Minutes a Day 