Somehow August has arrived, with sunshine and summer in tow. It felt so far away, back in March, when isolation started. But here we are. And after a long lull in my poetry inspiration, I’m back to writing more fluently again! Last month I wrote three poems for my Wednesday Whims page, plus a couple online workshop pieces, and a few others to hopefully send out for submissions (so I […]
I am a goal-setter. Although to be honest, I don’t always look back and reflect. Sometimes I just keep going, setting new or abbreviated goals along the way. But today, with the accomplishment of one very important goal that’s pushed me to drive through long nights and torrential downpours, I have found reason to reflect. And I believe it is important to share for all the writers out there who […]
With the book that’s held my attention for the last several years complete, and in the hands of an editor (and soon to be published, late spring 2021), I now have the time to focus on a new story idea that’s been brewing in the back of my mind. I believed utilizing what I learned from my first book to begin my second book would make story-writing easier. But it […]
Flowers are a lovely gift for many celebratory occasions. But for me, I also like blooms of another kind. This year for Mother’s Day, my daughter gifted me a membership to MasterClass, and I am in love with this bouquet of possibility and growth. I cannot rate this program because I’ve only just begun, but after choosing my classes this morning, I have chills in anticipation. The reviews are quite […]
Poem in your Pocket Day is April 30th this year, and the perfect send off to an unforgettable National Poetry Month. In some ways, perhaps more poetry was shared due to our isolation with Corona Virus. My hope, with all the sadness and anxiety, with the unfortunate souls lost to this pandemic, is that some how we manage to find reason and comfort within a string of words. This is […]
This year, our entire world is isolated and locked down during National Poetry Month. But I say, let the words roam! Let them “beat upon your head like silver liquid drops” (Langston Hughes, April Rain Song, 2)! Let them singe from your fingertips as you write and embrace your heart as you read. I say, fill this time of fear and instability from an enemy-virus with grace and hope and […]
Do I really need another writer’s checklist? I do. I’ve discovered it’s needed for my own growth. Only six years into writing for myself, and three years into writing more publicly, I am in great need of accountability and push-on-abilty. And, sometimes I forget the pure satisfaction in checking off an item on my list. Maybe I should add, celebrate checking off the checklist, onto my list. I find my […]
Writers Need Writers! Lunch with friends is always a joyful experience. When written on my calendar, it becomes a beacon of light to look forward to. And now I have a new “lunch with friends 2.0” to share: lunch with writer friends! Writers typically work alone. Isolation is required in the realms of creation, but sometimes we need to poke our heads out and interact with others. Yesterday, I had […]
Intentionally, I took a day off from writing. Yes, it was Valentine’s Day, international day of love, but also, my Anniversary. With a double holiday (as I like to call it), I always take the whole day off from every other thing vying for my attention. The next day, I felt refreshed and ready to write! Whatever day works for you, be it a holiday or just a typical Tuesday, […]
My writing mind wriggles during down time, up time, in between time. Honestly, it never really ceases in its pursuit to create. The doctors diagnosed it as ADD, and although it can be frustrating at times (in the middle of a Tuesday night with a morning meeting in wait), I find it illuminating. Ideas spark at the glimpse of bulb plants sprouting from the cold January ground, warriors against frost. […]
January has unveiled its raw winter-ness. For Seattle, that blast of snowy chill equates to a romanticized sense of wonderland…well, for the writer in me. Maybe because I grew up where wintery-season months matched splendidly with all the storybooks from my childhood…snowfall under lamp posts, icicle-clad roof eaves…and my dad bundled under the warmth of his red flannel shirt, shoveling the drive. A favorite memory, relived year after year in […]
After five-plus years of writing my finally finished book, Seam Keepers, a burning new story has sparked into life. Although I am still in the querying stage of my first book, I can’t seem to snuff the light from this new idea seeking passage to the page. And though Seam Keepers has a sequel in need of completing, this new story inspiration doesn’t seem to mind sharing in the limelight. […]
I’m two scenes into a new story idea, and I can’t wipe the grin off my face. There are still plot twists to create and character arcs to build but ringing in 2020 with a novel writing goal seems like a decade-worthy decision. It’s also a fresh new year for my blog, Steps In Between. The first Sunday of every month I typically pull your attention to my Wednesday Whims […]
Just because I’m a writer…author of my first poetry book…revising-expert of my fiction manuscript…and mostly nice human, doesn’t mean I have the business knowledge or wherewithal to market myself. This is the hardest part for me. More difficult than the writing itself; and writing is challenging. ***Side Note: At the bottom of this post you will find some links to marketing advice as well as a REQUEST for more resources. […]
I am thankful for a December look-back. The first Sunday of a new month is an invitation to visit my poetry page, Wednesday Whims of Poetry. It’s that beginning of a new month where I encourage reflection from the month before…before it’s gone. Time moves like a sleepless night. It flows whether we’re caught up or ready, and tirelessly we move forward because it’s the only direction to go. But […]
Beholden, grateful, obliged, and bound…how many other words might describe the thankfulness in my heart. This is the season where I wind down, follow that trickle of thought from mind to heart. That gleaming light from purpose to fingertips because when creating, that’s where things get done. I’ve found the writing side of who I am, depicted this way, as I’m certain it’s been with me my whole life. I […]
It’s that time of year again when the moon takes on an eerie glow, much brighter above darker autumn evenings. This strange little season starts in the grocery stores, far too early, in September. Although candy sales aren’t the greatest of deals when you down every morsel before the first ding-dong of trick-or-treaters. But, nearer than a roaming spirit, the holiday is upon is. And as much as I dislike […]
I am thrilled to kick off my new “CC’s Interview Series” with poet friend and 2017 Pushcart nominee, Ann Christine Tabaka. Although she lives across the nation from me, in Delaware, it feels as if we are sitting together in a warm and cozy coffee shop. The scent of cappuccino fills the air as our poet’s inspiration and experience weave an intricate story. Please, pull up a chair, fill your […]
Summer Slows into a Rainbow of Light: September’s Poetry Celebration Summer is slowing. I can already feel the heat against my back on this first day of September. But there is much to appreciate in these last rays of light. It’s the first Sunday of a new month, so that means we celebrate poetry here at Steps in Between. Today is even more colorful, though, as I have a rainbow […]
The first Sunday of every month is a poetry celebration here at Steps In Between. https://stepsinbetween.com/poetry/ In fact, later this month, I will continue the party by adding another round of poems to my Poetry Friends page. This will be the third edition, as it inspires me to surround myself with greatness. I am eager to introduce some new artists and new pieces coming soon. For now, as always on […]
Halloween, early 1970’s, I was always a witch. My mask was made of plastic and attached with a long rubber string tied behind my head. Equally shiny with synthetic materials was my dress, not unlike the mask, tied behind my neck. The designs of the fabric simply printed on, to give the illusion of different fabrics and textures. Illusions. I’m wondering now if the illusions of fright during Halloween time […]
I’ve discovered my writing mind is never still. It’s either that or the characters and topics I write about live three dimensionally in my head. It gets crowded, so we get out and take a lot of walks. Or at least, this is how if feels. I believe writers are undeniably always thinking. Our minds are on the go even sitting still behind a desk. This makes perfect sense. It’s […]
The first Sunday of the month is where I highlight my poetry page: https://stepsinbetween.com/poetry/. Although the first Sunday in October fills me with family. I remember when my babies were little. The energy it took bundling them up with mittens and hats that always multiplied in those moments getting out the door. As each young one pulled off a fuzzy garment piece, one after another, I patiently (and sometimes impatiently) […]
Happy Anniversary! It’s been exactly one year since I began posting about my writing journey in this blog, Steps in Between. I have succeeded in some of my goals, reworked a few others, and still have a handful waiting for retrieval. But what I’m most excited about… YOU! Blessings are overflowing when I think of the writing community I’ve been fortunate enough to interact with. I’ve written before about the […]
Sometimes I feel at the will of my inspiration. Could it be that this abstract part of me is more in control than originally thought? It’s my creative side that links itself to motivation. It’s my motivation that gets things done. But it’s the reality of those finished works (and sometimes unfinished) that seem to define me. Or do they? I think, in all honestly, I allow myself to be […]
A Little Luck, Without the Salt, by Celaine Charles The old lore about spilled salt has its place in many cultures. A pinch of salt tossed over your left shoulder can rid you of bad luck, although be careful to use your right hand, and not your right shoulder, or you can bring upon bad luck. Regardless, you must still sweep up the floor. You might find a little Irish […]
The ebb and flow of writing momentum breathes in life through my lungs like a parasite. Dictionary.com defines a parasite as an organism that lives on or in an organism of another species, known as the host, from the body of which it obtains nutriment. I have the desire to write coursing through my veins. Due to that constant pulse, my heart is not my own. The space in […]
In honor of the coming Valentine’s Day and creativity, what do you love? Be that you write, or paint, or toil at a trade, whatever you do that defines who you are… what do you love about it? What keeps you coming back to it? What keeps you committed (even during the dark times)? I love my characters. From my novel, Seam Keepers, Ashton and Mason are friends I wish […]
“I think a person permeates a spot, and a lost presence makes the environment timeless to me, keeps an area alive.” ~Andrew Wyeth Over the holidays I visited the Seattle Art Museum, and was fortunate enough to take in “Andrew Wyeth In Retrospect.” This diverse collection celebrated the painter’s life over seventy-five years. Many of his pieces I knew, and they spoke to me, although there were a few that stirred my […]
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