Fun with stuffies!!! Another journal-type blog post! It has been one whole week since school closed and homeschooling is going okay. We have a bit of a routine now, which I think is helpful for everyone. The kids mostly seem to be doing okay. The 4th grader has occasionally been moody and tearful (so have I!), and she is missing her friends. Still, they are both currently doing surprisingly well, all things considering. I guess we’ll see how next week goes. My writing has bee

Hi everyone! It’s been a long while since my last blog post. I’ve been busy this summer with my family, my writing projects, and my volunteer projects. My family’s been busy this summer, going to museums, the beach, hanging out at the neighborhood pool, playing video games, and of course, reading a million books. My younger child is now 3 and has camp 3 days a week over the summer (not every week), so I’ve been enjoying spending time with her while my 6yo is at camp. Unfortun

For those of you who attended (and those of you who didn’t!), here are the links I included in the handout at my Part Time Writer, Full Time Mom workshop this past weekend. Some of these I mentioned specifically in the talk, and some are just for further reading. (A big thank you to author Pooja Makhijani for helping me with some of these links!) Books I’ve enjoyed: 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think by Laura Vanderkam (her interview with author Yvonne Ventresca) Bu

As a writer, I think a lot about word choices. The words you choose can make or break a sentence. And as a writer, I usually have time to sit and ponder my word choices and run them past someone else. I can change things when they don’t quite sit right with me, or if I’ve said something I didn’t intend. But I don’t have that luxury when I’m talking. I make remarks off-the-cuff when I’m angry or upset, or even just being silly. Especially when I don’t think little kids are wit

And even though I didn’t get around to the full 50k, I got a lot done. Writing a novel takes a lot more effort than just writing words on a page. Here are a few examples of what else accomplished this month: I researched backstories, sketched several new characters, did some plotting, was crippled by writer’s block, got over writer’s block, filled in more of my outline, realized what the story is *really* about, recognized some key areas that will need further development, an

I miss the good old days before the baby (writing-wise, at least). I’d roll out of bed, eat breakfast, and then write until I was finished for the day. I was pretty good at setting goals and getting work done, until I became pregnant. Then writing was very difficult. I had trouble thinking and forming sentences. My creative brain was gone. Thankfully it came back when the baby was born! To say it’s been tricky getting work done while watching my 7 month old is a bit of an und