December 2, 2011
The news as of late is the rhythm of daily practice. I’m working on my first novel, and so far the process has been exhilarating. Each weekday morning I spend about two hours plugging away, fidgeting in my chair, letting my fingers snap at the keyboard:
This is the place where all the magic happens. Would you like a tour?
1. The laptop. My hammer and nails, my flour and water, my seeds and soil.
2. Light and a glimpse of the outside world. The muse travels in light.
3. Very nice personal rejection letters. “The quirkiness of this story made it fun to read.”
4. My fortune: “You will succeed by believing in your abilities.”
5. Books! From right to left:
- 2010 Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market;
- The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (4th Edition);
- 2,000+ Essential English Verbs;
- The Chicago Manual of Style (14th Edition);
- Woe is I: The Grammarphobe’s Guide to Better English in Plain English by Patricia T. O’Conner;
- This Won’t take but a Minute, Honey by Steve Almond;
- Fortune-Telling Book of Names by A. M. McCloud.
6. Hydration is always important.
7. Feedback from my critique group. Very helpful when revising.
8. The punch clock. I clock in every writing session with the time, how long I’m going to work, and what I’m going to work on. At the end of the session, I write how it went and when my next session will be.
9. My muses: the plants and chicken for oxygen and a smile; the jackalope because the fantastic is just around the next bend…
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July 20, 2011
I will be attending this year’s Willamette Writers conference, August 6-7. I’m looking forward to attending workshops, meeting writers, agents, and editors, and soaking up all things writing-related. Please stop me and say hello!
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May 15, 2011
Thank you to the Spring Creek Project for welcoming me as part of the 2011 Trillium Project. I was able to spend a weekend at the cabin listening to birdsong, taking extra time to study the ferns, and getting words down on the page. Bliss!
A few pictures:
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May 4, 2011
“A Pile of Feathers” – published in The Tower Journal!
http://www.towerjournal.com/spring2011/index.html
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April 19, 2011
I was accepted to spend a weekend writing with the Trillium Project! Part of the Spring Creek Project at Oregon State University, the Trillium Project welcomes artists, writers, composers, and philosophers to enjoy the spring wildflower season at the Cabin at Shotpouch Creek.
Rain, ferns, and salamanders – I’ll see you in a few short weeks!
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March 18, 2011
“A Pile of Feathers” is going to be published in The Tower Journal‘s Spring 2011 issue! This is one story from my collection set at McMurdo Station, Antarctica.
The Tower Journal is an online publication of poetry, fiction, essays, and book reviews. Mary Ann Sullivan — poet, novelist, explorer of digital poetry, and Associate Professor at Hesser University in New Hampshire – is editor.
