Song of the Week – “In The End”

After selling out their UK tour, Snow Patrol will kick off their North American tour on March 29th in Orlando.  Check out their latest single, “In The End”. Linked from Snowpatrol.com My favorite verse:  “In the end.  There is nothing more to life than love, is there?” Profound eh?  But...

Someone Wise Once Said…

As I’ve mentioned in another post, I love to collect fortune cookie fortunes, proverbs from teabags, and I have a Word document devoted to inspirational quotes.  Yogi always has great quotes.  Last week while enjoying a cup of Yogi Chai Black tea, I found this proverb:   To know others...

The Story of Music

I am one of those people that loves a song more after I hear the words. I write to music and depending on the type of scene I’m writing, prefer different tuneage. For me, I connect best with songs that have a deeper meaning. A song that makes you feel...

On location in NYC

Last weekend I went to NYC for my sister’s baby shower. Of course my visit coincided with the arrival of frigid temperatures. I love navigating NYC on foot, but with an artic blast, not so pleasant. Needless to say, it was still a great trip. How can a trip to...

The Scots Way to Ring in the New Year

In Scotland, they celebrate New Year’s with Hogmanay. Traditionally, Hogmanay was a fire celebration commemorating the Winter Solstice. Because I'm a dictionary nerd, I'll share with you the following definition from The Free Dictionary: Hogmanay [ˌhɒgməˈneɪ] n a. New Year's Eve in Scotland b. (as modifier) a Hogmanay party See...

A Tribute to Trish

Almost a week ago, I lost my mother-in-law to ALS, a disease many people know as Lou Gehrig’s disease.  It’s a terribly cruel disease that strikes about 5,600 people in the United States each year.  The disease is variable by person.  Some patients live many years with it.  My mother-in-law...

The Moderator Diaries–Episode 2

Here’s another sample of the variety of ridiculous comments I’ve received on the blog lately.  It’s obvious they don’t read the blog and I hate, abhor, no detest SPAM.  But this does lend a little humor to the situation and it gives me a great subject to post about: #1...

Why Editing is Like a Merry-Go-Round

Editing is like a merry-go-round. At first it can be a bit of a thrill, accompanied by a hint of butterflies.  But if you stay on the carousel too long…    you’re gonna get sick. Aside from editing the voice right out of your work, story fatigue becomes a factor....

On Writer Conferences

The beauty of an online writing conference is that you don’t have to physically go anywhere. You can attend via the comfort of your favorite chair or coffee shop. Anywhere you can connect via your laptop or internet enabled device of choice. It’s perfect for those of us with day...

Why Writing is Like Cliff Jumping

The other day, while shopping at Publix, I spied a teenager, with her nose in a book as she walked the aisles with her parents. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get close enough to get a good glance at the title. I wondered if it was required reading in English class and...