Category Archives: Writings

I walk at a sixteen-minute pace, my heavy winter coat plunked by the hood on my head, as though I’m the coat rack. I think of Cinderella’s fairy godmother—wand raised, pumpkins swirling into carriages, rags into gowns. But it’s past midnight. The magic’s gone. The mice are mice again. I’m standing here holding charcoal insteadContinue reading “Bippity Boppity Boop”

One problem I need to solve for my book is the hook. A hook is the thing a reader is actually reaching for — the solution they don’t yet have words for. If they’re lost, they’re looking for finding. If they’re stuck, they want movement. You get the point. I asked AI what it thoughtContinue reading “You Lead, I’ll Follow”

It’s 1.15 miles to town. I came up with that number last week, and with my Apple Watch on Exercise mode, I confirmed it earlier. My walk — a New Year’s resolution turned routine — has become a journey in itself. Down our country road, past Keith and Charlene’s house on the left and aContinue reading “When Repetition Builds”

Why in the hickity heck did I create this goal for myself? To write. Every day. When I’m not in the mood. When I feel my body deflating like a balloon a week after the birthday party, hovering sadly at counter height. There’s resistance, too. Can I just… not? I try to wriggle out ofContinue reading “How I Outsmart Resistance”

I only watched 15 seconds of the opening monologue in the movie “Sinners”, and I’m invested. I can’t do two things at once – write this and watch it – so I’ll see you tomorrow. Here’s what grabbed me wouldn’t let me go: There are legends of people born with the gift of making musicContinue reading “Sinners Be Sinning”

Previous Leaving Fargo, I had run out of options. Not the logistical kind—the deeper ones. The tricks I’d relied on were spent: the scanning, the planning, the constant attempt to outthink my own unease. I was tired of gripping the wheel like I could force something good to happen if I just tried hard enough.Continue reading “Letting the Road Decide (Book Part 38)”

I’m sneaking up on writing in my book. I could be writing in it tonight, but my excuse — and maybe a good reason, too — is that it’s late. Time feels like a security guard waving you forward in a sardine-packed crowd of concertgoers. Keep it movin’, the handlebar-mustached YMCA music-video man says, hisContinue reading “The Possibilities of Us”

I need a writing group. A small one. Is a duo — myself and one other — considered a group? Yes. The definition says it can be. It’s just that too many voices, too many ideas, too many personalities dampen intimacy. And I need intimacy. I need to hand someone my key willingly and say,Continue reading “The Darkness and the Light”

I’m in a “do the bare minimum” mood. Except when it comes to refreshing the house — there, I’m kicking dust bunnies’ butts. I take my O-Cedar mop, toe-press the lever to let physics spin the water out, and swipe along the inch-deep tops of the baseboards. I’d walked into the office — aka theContinue reading “Here Kitty Kitty”