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On Creative Leadership, Creativity, and Nonsense
* * * For the last couple of years, I’ve become very interested in researching what it takes to be a creative leader. Malcolm Knowles wrote a book entitled, “The Adult Learner, A Neglected Species.” From that book I’ve conducted research on creative leadership and what it takes to be a creative leader, both in business and in our own creative lives. I’ve presented this research at a couple of conferences, and I look forward to further pursing the ideals of creative leaders. Folks such as Steve Jobs, Sandy Lerner, Richard Branson, and JK Rowling have all served as inspiration for these presentations I make. When looking at the commonalities…
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Fictography #19: Beneath The Mimosa Tree (An Excerpt)
* * * * * * /FICTOGRAPHY/ def. — The intersection of photography (submitted by readers) and fiction (written by me!). As I was combing through my photographs this morning, I came upon Jennifer Bumgarner’s shots from our cover shoot for “Beneath the Mimosa Tree.” There are so many gorgeous pics she took, and they are wasting away in a file on my computer. I decided to use one of her photos for today’s FICTOGRAPHY segment—a photo that was captured as a scene from my novel—and I pulled that part of the story from the book. Therefore, today’s FICTOGRAPHY is an excerpt from “Beneath the Mimosa Tree.” To set the…
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Editing My Novel: “Baseball Girl” Is In Motion
On Friday, I completed the first draft of my second novel, currently titled “Baseball Girl.” This sucker is seriously in motion. So, what does one do now that it’s complete? Well, my friends, now begins the difficult part, the part where you have to be critical of yourself, change things that are not working, and make sure your characters’ voices remain their voices, even if they develop and grow during the course of the novel. As well, it’s time to look at the overall plot and consider any flaws that may be lurking within its pages. As my fictitious love story is about a young woman who works in the…
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Fictography #12 — Self-Preservation
/FICTOGRAPHY/ def. — The intersection of photography (submitted by readers) and fiction (written by me!). This week’s selected photograph comes from a former student of mine and current Assistant Editor at the Severna Park Voice, Meredith Thompson. Meredith was a business communication major, and I got to know her well from all the classes she took with me. Meredith is a fantastic writer as well as a beautiful photographer, and many of her photographs are used in the Severna Park Voice. In fact, it was Meredith and her talents with the camera who helped me decide to purchase the Nikon I currently own. She has a way of looking at…
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Fictography #11 — Callie’s Letter
/FICTOGRAPHY/ def. — The intersection of photography (submitted by readers) and fiction (written by me!). This week’s selected photograph comes from another student of mine, Courtney Hastings. Courtney is a business communication major, she loves to write and has taken many courses with me. She is also a member of the public relations club, of which I serve as the advisor, and is a member of our honor society, Lambda Pi Eta. She is very involved in campus life, and performs with the marching band as well. She is multi-talented, and appears to be a pretty good photographer as well. When she posted this photo on Facebook, I asked her…
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Because It Comes From You~Some Inspiration
* * * I don’t believe any writer has 100% confidence in every sentence she writes. She always second guesses. She always wonders if what she is writing is worthwhile. Earlier, I came across a fantastic quote that I am about to lay on my students and have them respond to in class. The quote is by writing teacher and author Peter Elbow. Elbow says in his book, “Writing With Power,” the following: “The essential human act at the heart of writing is the act of giving. There’s something implacable and irreducible about it: handing something to someone because you want her to have it; not asking for anything in…
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To Write a Sex Scene or Not Write a Sex Scene, That Is The Question (Today’s Wednesday Wisdom)
At several of the book club discussions I’ve attended over the year about my first novel, many women have asked me why I didn’t write the sex scene between Michael and Annabelle when they first became intimate. I have two answers for you: 1—My parents would read it. I’m not sure how I’d feel discussing that particular scene at a family gathering… and, 2—I believe much can be left up to the imagination of the reader. It is difficult, I think, to write something that is so intimate, and at times magical, as a moment where sex is not just sex, but rather a sort of spiritual melding of two…
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Beneath the Mimosa Tree Makes THE LIST on ABC2
Nice feature on BENEATH THE MIMOSA TREE on ABC2’s THE LIST. So grateful! Here’s the link courtesy of THE LIST. Very thankful to my husband, Suzette Desser (ABC2), Steven Chupnick & Nicki Mayo (THE LIST) for setting this up for me. http://www.thelistshow.tv/the-list/localist/baltimore-localist/4-steps-to-writing-a-book
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What’s FACT and What’s FICTION in MY NOVEL
My poor parents. Now that my book is published, they are having to field questions like, “Were the meddlesome parents in the novel modeled after you?” We all chuckled at that, but the answer is a resounding “no.” Another question was asked directly to me: “Is your novel based on past experience? Are you Annabelle in the book?” Ha! What writer doesn’t base some things on past experience, though I can’t share with you all of what’s personal in the story. As writers, we must keep some of our mysteries to ourselves. These questions are fair, fun, and funny. However, I must set the record straight. Ultimately, the book is…
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Love at First Sight: Fact or Fiction?
*** According to a piece from Psychology Today, approximately 60% of folks believe in love at first sight. Shockingly, of those 60%, at least 50% of them say they have actually experienced it. The article, from 2010, states that falling in love at first sight has to do with “a release of powerful neurotransmitter chemicals into the nervous system…that causes us physiological arousal.” Now hold on just a minute. If that’s the case, wouldn’t we be falling in love with people left and right if that were so? Why? Because if love has to do with that initial reaction to someone, which would definitely involve how attractive we find them,…
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The Man Who Kissed My Hand
First, let me state the following: I have never had a man kiss my hand as a gesture of introduction. That all changed yesterday when I was leaving campus; I was introduced by a colleague to an Irish gent who assists with our university’s travel abroad program in Ireland. He was visiting from across the pond, checking out our campus, and meeting folks. When we were introduced, the gentleman said, “May I?” I put out my hand for a shake, which he turned over to the top side, brought to his lips, and proceeded to kiss. I smiled. In this day of “women in the boardroom,” “women in power,” “women…
