Just Write

Debbie Macomber had so many rejections . . .

I enjoy books that take me away, where I can escape into other worlds, like Cedar Cove, the fictional town Debbie Macomber created for her cast of characters.  A Costco Connection article about Macomber invites readers into her real world. “When I first started out, the rejections came so fast they hit me in the back of the head.”  November 2013, The Costco Connection.  The article continues, “Macomber describes her desire to write as a ‘dream that pounded inside of me.’”  She overcame dyslexia and taught herself the art of writing by dissecting Kathleen Woodiwiss’ The Wolf and the Dove. “Whatever was inside that story that made me want to go back and read them again and again, I wanted in my own story.” From Debbie Macomber’s website: “. . . I wanted to become a writer because I had stories to tell. And I was always interested in people—in…

Guest Bloggers

Guest Blogger Rob Loughran writes an unforgettable essay.

The best view in Santa Rosa, it is said, is from Paradise Ridge Winery. The tasting room looks westward toward the semi-organized suburban sprawl where we live and thrive and call home. There is, however, another view from just a tiny bit down the mountain from the winery. On Round Barn Circle. A slightly different view. Sutter Oncology Clinic has the same view, just not as high on the mountain. And the people who get to see it truly appreciate the vista. Sutter Oncology Clinic is the place where people go to receive a drip, drip, drip that will hopefully cure their cancer. I have had the opportunity to savor the panoramic splendor of Santa Rosa, California from the glassed-in aerie of this clinic. It’s a beautiful view. It’s a beautiful city. We, from here, can see the city sprawled out before us. We can also see the clouds and…

Just Write

Elizabeth Berg demystifies how to describe characters

I love it when writers describe characters in a way that I can really see them, beyond eye and hair color. The trick is how to describe a character that gets into the essential details of the person. Elizabeth Berg demystifies how to describe characters, using interesting details, in “Escaping into the Open,” The Art of Writing True, page 91: Whether you’re writing fiction or  nonfiction, you can greatly help define a character by sharing not only what he says and does, but also how he looks. Again, details matter. don’t tell the reader that someone is old; show it by describing the dime-size age spots, the sag of the cheeks, the see-through hair, the spiderlike spread of veins at the back of the knees. Are nylons falling down? Are belts too big? Are there greasy thumbprints on the lenses of bifocals? Is the posture stopped or stubbornly erect? Is…

Book Reviews

Rachael Herron – A Life in Stitches, Knitting My Way Through Love, Loss, and Laughter

Rachael Herron shares her personal experiences in A Life in Stitches, Knitting My Way Through Love, Loss, and Laughter. Herron’s stories are like warm bowls of comforting homemade soup, to be lingered over and savored. Her positive attitude is inspiring.  Her engaging book, a series of personal essays traveling through her life, are to be shared.  I bought two extra copies for my sister and a friend!  A cozy read, my favorite kind of reading.

Guest Bloggers

Guest Blogger Suzanne Murray explains How Nature Can Enhance Your Creativity

When I received the inspiration for the name of my business Creativity Goes Wild, I was on a modern day vision quest with Bill Plotkin in an extraordinary canyon in southern Utah that allowed me to really open to the flow of new ideas. Along with the name, I also got that the essence of the work included three different elements: Nature, creativity and the soul which are aspects we can connect to that can really help us live full and authentic lives. I have long thought of nature as the original artist. If you spend any time in nature and pay close attention, you become aware of the beauty and design and patterns in both small things like the symmetry in pine cones and snowflakes or on a grander scale the patterns in the erosion of mountains or the movement of clouds across the sky. At first glance nature…