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 […]
One + two + three + four + one = eleven A little challenge, a little math, and a lot of poetry! I love my writing community, for a multitude of reasons, but today I am thankful for Charles Lindholm’s poetry challenge: to write an Elfchen. After I bit into one, I couldn’t help tasting a few more. Suddenly, I’m throwing a party and WOW, what an event it has […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Live a Little, Write a Lot! Story bits and poem parts bombard my thoughts on a regular basis…but only when I escape my writing desk and explore the world around, do they grow into full-fledged ideas. Part of my writing regime is getting out from behind the work and living. I used to believe I had to escape from life to write, an arduous task when I teach by day […]
A short and sweet Sunday post today. Summer is that time of year where schedules get highjacked for either fun vacation-y reasons, or even lazy lounging ones. I am leaving on vacation in a few short days, but I also have some exciting news to share. Therefore, this post will be a little different than usual. Don’t worry, there is still some quick writing advice at the bottom. So, take […]
I am beginning to learn even my multi-tasking mind has limits, or at least seasons. While in some seasons I carry out several great feats, in others, I slow down to refine only one. Writing projects are unfolding for me like this. And it feels good to acknowledge that it’s okay. Typically, I can focus on a multitude of projects at one time, nurturing them as I would each seed […]
I’ve written my opening lines again. It’s not the first time, or the second, or third, or fifteenth, or twenty-seventh… although each time I rewrite the first pages of my novel, I find new layers I hadn’t known were there. This latest rewrite, due to an exercise in a writing class, caused me to think about pace. Something I’m sure we’ll go over in upcoming classes, but as I read […]
January has wrapped me up, and instead of snuggling down for my typical renewal time (see: https://stepsinbetween.com/2018/01/07/january-renewal-dont-resist/), it feels as if I’m spinning round and round in constant motion. This year’s cocoon isn’t for rest; it’s for growth. I happened upon a book from Priscilla Long, The Writer’s Portable Mentor, a while back (see: https://stepsinbetween.com/2018/11/11/creativity-and-age-inspiration-from-author-priscilla-long/) and recently began diving into her words of wisdom. At the same time, I signed […]
Steps In Between 