I first posted “The Story Behind the Message” in 2017 before my memoir was published. Now as I work on my second book, this post remains as relevant to me as ever. Writing for me doesn’t get easier, Molly. ******************************************** Rearranging my bookcase, I came across a book with the following inscription: This is the…… Continue reading The Story Behind the Message
Tag: editing
No Edit Too Mundane
This is the week we spend our annual family vacation at the beach. While I have enjoyed the ocean and sand, I took some time to complete an assignment. One of my stories had been accepted by Pulse: Voices from the Heart of Medicine, a digital journal. It could be published as soon as this…… Continue reading No Edit Too Mundane
Luther
I received my memoir manuscript from my editor this past week. Thankfully, she hadn’t any issues with structure. (I’m not counting the many grammatical errors she found that I thought I had addressed but still missed). Since the last version of my book, I have changed the title, dropped five chapters, deepened some others, and…… Continue reading Luther
PERSISTENCE
Originally posted on Nursing Stories: Memories of an Older Nurse:
In 2014, I finished my memoir. In spite of myself, I persisted and finished. Ten years ago, I left a full time nurse practitioner job and began to write in earnest. The book I just birthed is not the one I started then. It has…
WRITER IN RESIDENCE
I spent part of last week at the Weymouth Center in Southern Pines, North Carolina working on my memoir. There was a sign on the door, DO NOT ENTER, WRITER IN RESIDENCE, which led to the hallway where I and another writer had accommodations. My room was the Paul Green room and the second was the Thomas…… Continue reading WRITER IN RESIDENCE
GET ON WITH LIFE
Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion. ~C. Northcote Parkinson, 1958 This Tuesday I leave for a four-day stay at a writer’s center not far from my home. As an act of desperation, I will seclude myself with my manuscript and concentrate on incorporating changes that have been percolating in…… Continue reading GET ON WITH LIFE
LOVE OF FOOD
As I continue editing my book (I’m a tiny bit behind schedule), I am adding more food references. Food has always had a hold on me. Growing up in both Italian and Polish traditions, the fabric of my childhood was knitted with gustatory delights. Food meant comfort and caring. One repast I’ll never forget was…… Continue reading LOVE OF FOOD
OUT OF THE DRAWER
Stephen King, On Writing, suggests after your book is written put it away. Don’t look at it, or think about it for six weeks, or more. Then pull it out of the drawer and read it all in one sitting, if possible. So after the designated time frame, while the crowds shopped on Black Friday,…… Continue reading OUT OF THE DRAWER
WHAT DOES PEA SOUP HAVE TO DO WITH WRITING?
It’s a soup day. Well, okay, it’s 76 degrees outside on this August morning in Chapel Hill but it’s dark and dreary. The sound of the rain hitting the roof makes me think of soup. Thoughts of the warm aroma of Grandma’s bean soup and the sweet, earthy taste of Mom’s chicken soup, made with the…… Continue reading WHAT DOES PEA SOUP HAVE TO DO WITH WRITING?
SELECTIVE STUBBORNESS
The first chapter of my book opens with my grandmother telling me in her fractured English I shouldn’t be a nurse. Her garlicky breath still resonates in my olfactory recollection. This chapter has been critiqued once in a master class at an annual writer’s conference and work-shopped at least twice in writing groups. So when…… Continue reading SELECTIVE STUBBORNESS
Nursing Stories: Memories of an Older Nurse 