Archive for December, 2009
Plotting Along
A couple of days ago, while I was pulling out pieces of the NaNo novel and seeing how they might fit together, I attempted a plot outline. A simple big-picture sort of thing. I made several attempts at similar things throughout the month, with poor to moderate success. All of a sudden, this time, the [...]
AK Puzzle Bears Holiday Offer
We got a call today from our friend, Fred, in PA. (Yes, that’s DBL Fred for friends who know him.) He was holiday shopping and wanted to give the Alaska’s Puzzle Bears book to two of the kids on his list. Since these are only available in choice Alaska souvenir shops, and since we can’t [...]
Stitching for Literacy Update
Another bookmark stitched by our friend, Bev, in MI. I now have a folder on my computer labeled “Bev.” If you’re stitching bookmarks for the Challenge. I’d love to have pictures. Oh, and I prefer the pics without dates on them. Right, Bev? The Monday “What have you done lately?” accountability post, where I announce [...]
Reading Roundup
What’s Mike reading to me? The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp, by Rick Yancey. By most accounts, and especially by teen accounts, fifteen-year-old Alfred Kropp is a loser. Being over-sized and under-intelligent, kids at school call him “Frankenstein.” His mother was sufficiently concerned about his intelligence to have his IQ tested. All right, so he’s [...]
Weekend Site Seeing
The December 1 issue of The Stitchers’ Voice is up over at The Stitchers’ Village. The issue includes a vintage Needlework Nutshell article by yours truly that includes project instructions. You’ll also find details about the TSV Twelve Days of Christmas Competition. A prize is up for grabs on each of the twelve days. Don’t [...]
Baffled Brains
I’m fascinated by the way the brain works. You probably know that. A big part of the joy of writing is the process by which ideas arrive, mingle, connect, and become altered in the brain. Yesterday, I moved the temporary kitchen cabinets and counter some fifteen or twenty feet to the dining area of the [...]
No Mo NaNo
Sigh. It’s over. November has become one of my favorite months, and it’s all because of NaNoWriMo. Yes, I could do the same thing on my own any time of year, and to some extent I do. I even have writing friends who play the silly novel-writing game with me year-round. It doesn’t matter. I [...]
First Winter Storm
Power’s out. Lots of heavy wet snow. This has the makings of an extended outage. We’re fairly well prepared, so no worries for a while. It sure is pretty! Not much to read here, I know. If you want, the December 1 Needlework Nutshell went out early this morning (subscription box in sidebar), and the [...]
, by Ellen Ruppel Shell
, by Elizabeth Strout.
