I will have a (late) Sunday Salon post up shortly, but in the meantime, you can check out my latest article at Nü Magazine.

I have been thinking about short stories lately. I wrote several as homework assignments when I took a fiction writing course, and was quite surprised and happy at how they turned out. (I had always told myself I couldn't do fiction.) I even published a handful in various places.

Now, whenever I see a call for submissions or a contest involving short stories, I rack my brain for which of those initial stories are left (unpublished). It is kind of silly. The other day I told myself, Hey, write some more short stories! I can't beat those old ones to death, no matter how much I like them.

I have actually had a couple in the works for a while now, but I didn't know how they would turn out so I left them hanging. Their premises are really interesting but I need to wrap my head around them from start to finish.

I just found this advice over at Write101.com:

• Put a man up a tree
• Throw stones at him
• Get him down

That sounds about right.

Dang, I miss posting. Yes, I said "dang."

I met with the fabulous editor of the Good Life Magazine the other night and we nailed down my next assignment. It will be a special report on sexual violence, focusing on rape, incest and molestation. (Not exactly a light summery topic, is it?) It will be similar to the domestic violence piece in many areas, including its scope (immediately Austin, but growing incrementally) and my methods. I anticipate that it will be much more difficult, especially when you get into the abuse of children.

The topic was my idea. Part of me wonders what I could have been thinking, while the other says, "You like to complain about the horrible things in the world. You have sisters who have to grow up in it. Do something about it."

So I will.

Wish me luck... prayers, even.

So It Goes

• I am currently writing a profile of Herman Hesse for Swiss Made Magazine. I believe this will be published in the Fall issue, but don't quote me on that.
  
  
• I am interviewing Kate Payne, a fellow Austin WriterGrrl and great friend, for Nü Magazine, as she is a talented artist and poet.
  
  
• Tomorrow evening I will meet with the editor of the Good Life Magazine concerning a new special report. He has already approved my topic, but I won't disclose any information until the assignment is in hand.

All in all, things are going well, if busy. I am nothing if not overcommitted. It seems to be a trend.

TSS Week 9

I do not want to go into my loss much but since I mentioned it here on the blog, and since it is affecting my writing, I would like to flesh out some thoughts without details.

Since it happened, I have lost my impetus to write. Most people write to channel grief and frustration - even I do - but this grief is so new and fresh that writing seems to require too much energy. I look at the blank document and want to run away, no matter what the writing is supposed to be about. Perhaps prompts and short exercises will be useful now, rather than anything dramatic.


I am currently reading a book called "Writing to Heal the Soul: Transforming Grief and Loss Through Writing." It seemed like an excellent concept and I have really been enjoying it. I have read 9 chapters now but have only done one exercise (from Chapter 1) so I need to tune it to the workbook aspect better. I acknowledge this :) This is why I sat down, actually... not to blog but to write out an exercise.

I recommend the book so far, and will let you know later if I find the exercises to be worthwhile.

The Writer Explains Herself

Hello readers,

I apologize for the recent lack of invigorating posts on this blog. I recently suffered a loss that has inhibited my writing and sapped my spirit. The good news is that I am doing better every day, and though my writing has suffered, it is not non-existent. I do the little I can and it helps. I am going to try and do better henceforth because I love this blog, but thanks for understanding anyway.