Thoughts about writing, and the universe.
When the tide recedes, great shards of frozen fjord shatter against the shore. The ocean leaves them there as it pulls back from the land, and they pile up in a jagged ruin that stretches all around the bay at Flekkefjord. When the sun is blazing and the tide is moving at its fastest, you... Continue Reading →
Can a non-writer learn the tools of the trade, or are great writers born with something different? Is writing a gift--the kind of thing you either have or lack--or is writing a learned skill that any person can develop? Questions of this ilk have sometimes plagued me, as an aspiring writer first, later as a... Continue Reading →
In late October, I set myself a writing goal of 12,000 words, which is certainly more than I had written in quite some time before that. As November has marched on, I have chipped away dependably. Setting this goal really had an impact on my volume. We're entering the final week of term, and the... Continue Reading →
When has life ever been so busy? Fall semester is always the hardest here--major assessments in most subjects, a full-on calendar of events, letters of recommendation to write, lessons to keep planning. This year, changes in school procedures, a round of oral exams, hybrid lessons for students still off-campus or those feeling ill, and a... Continue Reading →
This week, let's look at blogs. What make one tick and another flop? Why do some get clicks and others languish patiently? And which is this? The IB syllabus for my English language acquisition students asks them to practice writing a variety of text types, from letters to proposals, from persuasive speeches to brochures. This... Continue Reading →
This week's post forms part of the monthly Author Toolbox Blog Hop, in which writers at all stages of their careers come together to share knowledge. It's a good group. Check out the posts of others here. In this second week of school this year, our student creative writing group commenced. Two budding student leaders... Continue Reading →
Work went from zero to one hundred more abruptly that it ever has. Two weeks ago, that last easy week of summer, I wrote an hour each day, completed consistent thirty-minute workouts, weekly video-calls with family and friends, eight hours of sleep each night. Two weeks, and I feel already wrung dry. Although they're all... Continue Reading →
I get wrapped up in my own head sometimes. I twist around my thoughts. Despairing at the world or spinning in moot worries, few things can pull me out of looping thoughts effectively as writing. Writing helps us process our emotions. It is a way to get outside oneself, as it is paradoxically too the... Continue Reading →
In the rush through of this so different summer, at last the rain has broken. Three days of sun erupted miraculously into the forecast, and in a fevered burst we made our travel plans. Covid-19 seems to be controlled in Norway. The country mostly reopened in mid-May, and new case numbers have held low at... Continue Reading →
A week ago, just as I was finalizing last week's blog post, I received an email letting me know that a magazine wanted to publish a short piece I had submitted to them. Oh? They do? Oh! Oh my. My that feels good. It has taken me some time, some grief, and lots of effort.... Continue Reading →
Words like trees 