Writing advice: Anne Lamott and Toni Morrison

This past Saturday, I watched Anne Lamott on a webinar sponsored by Book Passage. She spoke from her home for three hours, sharing her wisdom on writing. She shared titles of books that might help with writing: Stephen King, On Writing, A Memoir of the Craft Walter Mosley, This Year You Write Your Novel Abigail Thomas, Thinking About…… Continue reading Writing advice: Anne Lamott and Toni Morrison

Revisiting “The Artist’s Way”

A friend recently lamented that she wished she was more creative. “I am so left brain,” she said. “Everything I do is regimented. I would love to lose myself in some artistic project.” She had retired about three years ago and needed some help in reinventing herself after a successful nursing career. That night—I do…… Continue reading Revisiting “The Artist’s Way”

Rejuvenation

My definition of rejuvenation is spending five days at Fort Myers Beach with my good friend, Lois, walking the beach, watching sunsets, having one humongous scoop of ice cream from Kilwin’s each evening, and reliving the fun times we have had over the 45 years of our friendship. Like the time we decided to join…… Continue reading Rejuvenation

NCWN Fall Conference

I attended the North Carolina Writers Network Fall Conference in Asheville this past weekend. The Keynote Speaker was Charles Frazier (Cold Mountain) Frazier spoke of how he came to be published. His wife’s good friend was an agent. How lucky can you get?   Sessions I attended: I.  Screenplay: Fake vs Fiction with Maryedith Burrell…… Continue reading NCWN Fall Conference

Learning the hard way about book promotion

My son-in-law and daughter left for a weekend in Chicago so he could run the marathon. I stayed at their home, watching three grandkids and the two dogs. It was good timing. My life, up to now, has mostly centered on promoting my first and only book. I have been doing little else. Stories from…… Continue reading Learning the hard way about book promotion

What Was My Memoir Really About?

This guest post was written for She Writes Blog on November 29, 2018. My book, Stories from the Tenth-Floor Clinic: A Nurse Practitioner Remembers, took me about seven years to complete. I couldn’t seem to rush the process. A mentor told me “the book will take as long as it needs to take to be…… Continue reading What Was My Memoir Really About?

BE GOOD TO YOUR READER

I took Stein with me to Monkey Joe’s and settled into a black leather vibrating chair in an area devoted to parents, grandparents and other responsible adults while the men’s semi-finals at Wimbledon played on one TV screen and some guys tossed a basketball on the other. My three grandsons scampered towards the inflated jumpy…… Continue reading BE GOOD TO YOUR READER

Never Too Old

I am empowered knowing age does not limit our creativity. James Arruda Henry learned to read and write in his mid-nineties. He didn’t stop there but went on to write a book: In a Fisherman’s Language. As a gerontological nurse practitioner and woman of a certain age I am delighted to promote his story.