I will be presenting a workshop entitled “How to Improve Your Writing in Just 20 Minutes a Day” in April, 2012 at the Story Circle Network national writing conference in Austin. I am pleased to have had my proposal accepted. This is a fine organization and I’m proud to be included. I conceived of this…
Tag: flash essay
Prompt: A Tough Week
This has been a hard week. My beloved sister-in-law died on Tuesday and that was good in that she was no longer suffering, but bad from the point of view that I was fifteen hundred miles away when I wanted to be by her bedside. I talked to her the day before she died and…
Prompt: The Word “Alone”
Alone. What does that mean in my life at this point? I hardly know. It can be safely said that I am almost never alone. Two of my children – even though they are grown – still live with me and they are here part of every day. Then there’s my husband who is with…
Getting Ready for Thanksgiving
It’s almost Thanksgiving and I’m excited. We have family coming and a few friends; there will be 10 in all. In past years, we’ve hosted as many as 20 so this seems rather small in comparison. Small is good. That means less stress and more opportunity to experiment with different recipes. The only sad aspect…
Prompt: Two Words for Nonfiction: Silence & Habit
Silence. The sound of silence. Simon and Garfunkel. “Hello, Darkness my old friend. I’ve come to talk with you again.” Silence is a luxury in my life. Sounds accost me on every side. Right this very moment, cars are whizzing by outside, my dog is gnawing with great determination on her bone, and the clicking…
Prompt: Texas vs California
I am here at Dallas Love Field, heading back to LA after a weekend visit to Texas. I do this a lot since my husband and I are renovating a Queen Anne Victorian just north of Dallas, in the town of Sherman. This is home turf for me, having grown up just 25 miles from…
Observations in the Airport and Almost Left Behind
The young Indian woman sitting across from me is wearing black jeans, a black and white print top and a gray scarf covered in white polka dots. She’s talking on her phone, her dark hair pulled back in a long ponytail, her face bright as she chats, a look of expectation on her smooth-skinned face….
Last Day in Corpus Christi and Party Going
It’s morning here in Corpus Christi. The last day of our visit before heading back home tomorrow at 6 am. I just took Sarah to the hospital where she’ll begin her 6 week rotation on Ob/Gyn. She talked to a friend last night who had just finished that rotation and he said, “It’s awful. Nobody…
Closet-Sitting & Another Day with Sarah
I am sitting in the closet, literally. The iron is on a shelf across from me and a mini-ironing board is leaning against a cardboard box. Two levels of hangers – sweaters and blouses on the top level and slacks on the bottom – are to my left. A folded up blue beach chair is…
Halloween in WeHo
Today is Halloween. Four hundred thousand people will descend on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood, beginning at around 5:30 or 6 pm. We live exactly four blocks from where all the merrymaking will take place, and traffic in front of our house promises to slow to a crawl by mid-afternoon. We’ll see all sorts…
20 Minutes a Day 