Here are two of my daughter Rachael’s grades from the infamously difficult UCLA English department. Of course, I am a proud mother and am pleased to “crow” about them to you all, but I have a bigger point. These grades illustrate something I’ve learned over these past 13 years of working with writing students –…
Tag: timed writing
Our Grandbaby’s Official Name
My little granddaughter, who is still in utero, has received her official name from her parents. Luna Isabella. Her paternal grandfather has already decided he will call her by the pet name, Bella, which means beautiful in Spanish, his first language. That’s lovely. Luna means moon and she is likely to have big round eyes…
Lincoln: the film
I just returned from seeing this film. All I can say is go see it. This is not a dumbed down version of this critical time in history. The language is formal as is fitting of the time and the political dynamics are much like today – filled with intrigue. Moreover, the gentile and wise…
Falling Asleep while Sitting Up
I am struggling to come up with something to write tonight. I have my 20 minutes to fill and nothing of any note is springing to mind. Hmmm. What to write about? My eyes are crossing. I am so sleepy. It is 7:36 pm. The sun went down around 4:45 and, like a little bird,…
Writing Frustrations or How Not to Write a Novel…
I have been struggling today with my new novel, working out the structure using John Truby’s The Anatomy of Story. It’s difficult because I started with an image and have written probably sixty or seventy pages of this novel, but realize that I have a big problem. My main character, a 17-year-old girl, is not…
Texas and Our “Little” House Renovation
I am here in Texas where the weather has been beautiful. We’ve had cool breezes – but not too cool – and clear skies. We have been doing a lot of work on our guesthouse here, getting it ready to rent, so we’ve been outside a lot. The wind has been blowing from the south,…
Hurricane Sandy’s Aftermath
I watched a news show with Brian Williams tonight showing the devastation in New York, Statin Island, and New Jersey in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. It was disturbing to see such loss; upsetting to see such human suffering. Hopefully, the Red Cross and FEMA are on their way to Statin Island, in particular. People…
Hurray! Two Publications.
I am happy to report that two of my memoir pieces have been accepted for publication: one in the 2012 Story Circle Network hard copy anthology and the other in the SCN online anthology. The best part is that both of these pieces came from right here: my blog. I wrote them in my 20…
2 am – We Have Arrived
We have made it to our Texas home. Finally. We arrived at 1:15 am, after having driven since 7:45 am. Except for gas and a few dog pit stops, the only time we weren’t in the car was in Albuquerque for lunch at around 3 pm. We passed the time today listening to NPR and…
The Santa Ana Winds Are Here
The wind is rustling the leaves in the tree outside my back door; I can see the Nandina bushes bending and shaking through the front window. The Santa Ana winds have been blowing since yesterday, sending the pollution out to sea and making the LA air smell cleaner. Unfortunately, because the winds are dry, they…
20 Minutes a Day 