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Hitting A Rough Patch
* * * I spend a lot of time writing. I spend a lot of time reading. Does this sound like you? It sure as hell sounds like me. Maybe it sounds like you and me and a lot of other people. So, because we, collectively, spend a lot of time reading and a lot of time writing (me, for my profession, as well as scribing a book or two or three–what’s your excuse?), coming up with an enticing blog post can get a bit, shall we say, tricky. Fried brain on toast, if you know what I mean. Sometimes I just sit here, looking at the screen and saying…
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It’s Your Birthday. You’re only mildly old. Can you read the bottom line?
The morning went something like this. You got up early to be at the Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) by 8:30 a.m. to have your license, which expires tomorrow (on your birthday) renewed. You waited until the last minute to get it done. There were too many other things to do this week, like drive your kid to golf many times and take your daughter to the movies. You’ve been writing all week–not Baseball Girl–but the textbook you’re working on with your brilliant colleagues. Nevertheless, you left it to the last minute, as you usually do, and thus suffered the consequences of waiting for almost an hour and a half until…
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Scenes from Boston & The Freedom Trail
It’s been a while since I’ve blogged, people. I’m sorry about that. I’ve been spending a little bit of time…living. That’s right. I’ve powered down here and there, spent time with family and friends, attended my kids’ sports events, edited my novel, and have enjoyed every single day of my summer break. Last week, after suffering the effects of Hurricane Arthur in early July and having to leave our vacation early, we took a second vacation to Cape Cod and Boston. It was absolutely delightful. We took the kids to Williamsburg in the spring which they loved, and so we decided to incorporate some time “learning” into this trip as…
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What One Week Away From Facebook Taught Me
Last week, we went on vacation. Although it was shortened due to the unfortunate path of Hurricane Arthur, prior to leaving, I deactivated my Facebook account. I wanted to see what it felt like to be disconnected from that form of social media. I stayed on Instagram just to post pictures from vacation, but other than that, I let it all go. It’s not a bad thing to do. Disconnecting a little is healthy; it allows you to focus on the things that are truly important, such as your family and friends. I had become way too involved on Facebook, feeling the need to post constantly. I don’t feel the…
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Friday Fiction: Strike Out
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Fictography #22—Vivi’s Summer
* * * * * * /FICTOGRAPHY/ def. — The intersection of photography (submitted by readers) and fiction (written by me!). The above photograph was taken by a dear friend of mine, Chrissie Werzinsky, in Rome at Piazza Navona. Chrissie works for the Baltimore Orioles, and has for years, which is how we met many moons ago. Chrissie and I have a lot in common; we both love the Hallmark Channel, Pinterest, baseball, our Orioles friends, and novels that make you feel good. Luckily, my husband and I traveled to Rome before we had children, so I got to spend time visiting Piazza Navona. I was excited to see the…
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Friday Fiction: Strike Out
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Are You in the Shallow End or Deep End with Your Summer Reading?
* * * * * * Come on, be honest. What the heck is on your reading list this summer? Will you finally get around to reading “Fifty Shades of Grey” on your Kindle or will you be attacking a Dickens classic? Are you wading in the shallow end with the updated version of “Kardashian Konfidential” or knee deep in “Unbroken” or a novel with some philosophical insights? What is your beach read this summer? Let us know. We want to hear what you’re recommending…unless, of course, you’re too embarrassed to share… 😉
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Friday Fiction: Strike Out
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The Art of Editing
* * * * * I remember finding the copy editing course I took at Towson University grueling. It was a required course during my first master’s program in professional writing. It was tedious and tiring. My eyes grew weary, and eliminating words became a game to me. When the professor told us to get a piece down from 500 to 300 words, we had to do it, and the result had to be better than what we started with that day. Editing is not easy, my friends. It requires us step away a bit and consider the reader more than we consider ourselves and the prose we have written.…
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Friday Fiction: Strike Out
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Fictography #21 — A Scene in a Bar
* * * * * * /FICTOGRAPHY/ def. — The intersection of photography (submitted by readers) and fiction (written by me!). The above photograph is of the bar at The Four Seasons Hotel in Baltimore. Jenny and I concocted the premise of this story together the other night as we observed some interesting behavior at the bar. Our imaginations went a little wild, and I hope I do this one justice. For those of you who ask me why I don’t write sex scenes, I just don’t have it in me to do it. However, I can lead up to the moment, and allow you to take it from there.…
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Picture Perfect
My daughter and I spent Sunday afternoon at my parents’ house. They live in a beautiful community on the Magothy River, and I decided to take a walk to their community beach that afternoon. With my iPhone in hand, I took some shots. I don’t know if you feel the same way I do about where you grew up, but I absolutely loved the neighborhood, the community, and the schools. When I go to visit, it always feels like I’ve taken a mini-vacation. I was lucky to have spent many years there, and always feel the same way when I visit. As Mr. Rodgers would say, “It was a beautiful…
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Friday Fiction: Strike Out
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Okay. Okay. I’ll Come.
* * * I know what Maya Angelou meant here. There are times when you sit down to write and nothing comes. Then, there are times when your fingers can’t type as quickly as your brain is working, and the fingers have trouble keeping up with the thoughts that barrel through you. We lost a great sage, writing influence, and someone with limitless amounts of creativity. Her influence will be missed. * * * * * * In Memory of Maya Angelou, A Poem The ideas don’t flow the way they should; Noise litters your head— An angry word, a moment of doubt— Insecurities pounding, wanting to come in. Yet…
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Friday Fiction: Strike Out
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How Pinterest Helped With Our Home Renovation
* * * * * * My husband and I are well underway with our exterior home renovation. While what we are doing is by no means “earth shattering,” we are giving our 1973 home some modern updates. In the process, we were extremely lucky to have worked with an architect who truly “listened” to what we wanted to do without breaking the bank. She sat through a three-hour meeting with us, while I showed her photo after photo of things we liked—things I had pinned on Pinterest. We walked around the house and talked about the roof, the garage, the siding, the soffits, and more structural technical terms that…
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Fictography #18: Eat More Bananas
/FICTOGRAPHY/ def. — The intersection of photography (submitted by readers) and fiction (written by me!). With a two-week break from writing this segment because I’ve been up to my eyeballs editing and working on preparing my novel, I’m back today with a piece of fiction. The photo above was taken by my daughter on the Baltimore Beltway. She hates bananas, so this piece of work is inspired by knowing someone who can’t stand the food. This piece of flash fiction comes in at 283 words. * * * EAT MORE BANANAS The flu. It had taken over her life for the last few days. Sick in bed and vomiting, her…
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Friday Fiction: Strike Out
