January 12 is official “Clean Off Your Desk Day,” and since that task is impossible for many writers (present company included), the Monday Blog Game* version of the observance is SHOW ME YOUR DESK–or tell me about it, if photos aren’t an option. Here’s my offering: I practice law and write from my home-office, which has a window overlooking a rose garden (and a couple of bird feeders) at the front of the house. My reef aquarium sits to my right, and two of the walls have bookcases. On any given day, at any given moment, the desk holds a Macbook Pro, a
Read moreMonday blog game
What Do YOU Love?
Now that 2015 is upon us, I’m returning the Monday Blog Game – a place where I blog on a prompt and invite anyone and everyone who sees it to do the same. Today’s prompt: What do you love? The irony of this, for me, is that it seems almost too broad. The minute I started thinking, I realized that I love so many things it was impossible to choose just one. I love coffee. (I love that this photo shows them all.) I love books that transport me to other places, books that scare me and books that make me
Read moreMonday Blog Game: Writing as Craft
I didn’t originally realize that writing was a craft. I thought writing meant “telling stories.” My first completed manuscript attempted to tell a story I made up – the fictional history of Borte Ujin, senior wife of Genghis Khan. The agents who read the manuscript offered nearly identical feedback: great idea, solid pacing, interesting voice – but the characters are flat and uninspired. I wrote another book, adding dialogue tags and descriptive adverbs galore. And once again, I was told my characters seemed merely two-dimensional. It wasn’t until much later – years down the line – that I recognized the
Read more