Novelista

Spending time away from your story is as important as writing until your knuckles cramp. With the holiday season tumbling upon us, it is easy to not write as much as you wish. Gift shopping alone can distract the most focused of writers. But, as we go about our business, our stories are on our minds. I often think about my characters, scenes or work out how I am going to get from plot point to plot point without losing continuity. Being pen and paperless can do wonders for a sticky situation. My mind can go over and over the scene changing details without wasting ink scratching out entire sentences or cramming words in-between my already close lines. Sometimes though, we need to not only keep our fingers away from our manuscripts but our minds as well. A clean break can revitalize our brains. Distractions can sweep away the clutter that may be dragging down our writing. Reading a book or watching tv or movies can work. Until you think about how you would have done it. Or...

Thanksgiving has passed. I hope everyone had a great holiday. Mine was a delicious blend of golden roasted turkey, sausage stuffing, sautéed green beans with bacon, cranberry mold, and cranberry relish. In the week that followed, I got some shopping done. Leftovers morphed into green bean and stuffing frittata and turkey chowder (even using the leftover gravy). The Christmas decorations have emerged from their slumber. Slowly but surely, the outside of my house gets greener. Small trees adorn my wrap around porch and my stained glass door. A large green wreath contrasts beautifully with the plain red brick of the 70s style addition. This year we added gold bows and ribbon to the lighted wreath. Soon, a wreath and matching garland will join the pot of white silk poinsettias at the front door. Along with the lighted old yew hedges, they will brighten the dark night as well as our spirits. Brightening our spirits in the dark times is what all the lights and decorations do ...