Way back in September, Joe Iriarte, asked a question on one of my process posts for writing Glamour in Glass. Hey Mary–I know that this is primarily a blog about whatever happens to be going on in your life, and not about teaching writing, but could you possibly tell a little bit about what you […]
What is an Emotional Throughline? Read More »
Rob and I are embarking on a four-hour motorcycle trip. I’ve got my cellphone, but coverage is spotty. I will be without internet access until Monday. So, while I’m gone, here’s a question for you. If you could have your ideal retreat, what would it include? Me? Clean, cool, quiet. Wi-fi, plenty of outlets, good
I’m stymied by police procedure. I’ve posted a query at Ask-A-Cop, too, but figure you guys are smart and might be able to help. (If you’re in the pool of people reading this or about to read this for me, you’re about to get some serious spoilers, so skip this post) I’m writing an urban
Police Procedure question Read More »
All right. I’ve sent this question to a couple of teens that I know, but I figure the wider the spectrum the more chance I have to not screw up. Please — if you are an adult, only answer if you have a teenager handy as a reference guide or if you can provide a
Teenage wardrobe question Read More »
Oh, my horsey friends, please double-check my book learning. I’m figuring that Character A will take about 2 and a half hours to cover four miles on a deer path through a heavily wooded area. She’s got about fifty very short characters with her, so isn’t walking at top speed. Returning, she’s mounted on a
Horse and math question Read More »
In the fantasy story I’m working on, my main characters are islanders faced with a more technologically advanced invader. These invaders bring things which you and I would know the words for, but which my islanders don’t. In the scene in question, I have this. Rising above the helmets of the warriors were ranks of
I dropped the moth off today and they loved it. As I was leaving they were having trouble with one of the other effects in the show. A key plot element revolves around a young man who has, um, trouble with his manhood becoming alert when he isn’t expecting it to do so. The member
You thought Mothra was funny… Read More »
So that’s the question du jour. Should I get a New York number for my cellphone or keep my Oregon number? I can keep the Oregon number active, so that’s not an issue. The question is about getting work. I feel like the area code on the phone is becoming a sort of non-issue these
Should I get a NYC phone number? Read More »
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
Protected: At the Edge of Dying Read More »
The post labled, “The Bride Replete” is about half of my current story in progress. I wanted to show it to some folks who were helping with my chemistry question to give them some context, so I posted it password protected. If you were reading Shades of Milk and Honey, it uses the same password
What’s up with the password protected story? Read More »
Since I have all of these new folks stopping by to look at the typewriter mod, maybe one of you will have an idea of how to do the other nifty thing I want. I want a USB carriage return. You know? I mean, how perfect would that be to be able to plug that
Typewriter question Read More »
We picked up the last of our typewriters (portable Smith-Corona with black pebbled finish) from the repair shop today. It has a smooth and lovely action. I typed a letter to celebrate. I think that, once we are in New York, I want to write a couple of short stories on our typewriters. I was
Typewritten stories Read More »
Okay. So I recognize that in the light of everything going on, this is a very trivial question, but it rocked my world today. I was trying to tell Rob this convoluted story about Norwescon and Easter. During the course of which, I said, “And I got to tell one of my favorite bad jokes.
What gender is the Easter Bunny? Read More »
Our flight out was utterly uneventful. We both napped some. Rob read the NY Times. I wrote and got about 2000 words in. And then we waited for our baggage to arrive. The staff seemed to be engaged in a slow motion Laurel and Hardy film, which anywhere else would have involved much running around
Safe arrival in Paradise Read More »
Tonight we went into the studio to record Chapter Two of the secret project. At one point, the narration refers to one of the characters whistling. When we paused, Rob said, “Are you going to whistle?” “No. I can’t whistle,” I replied. A moment of silence passed with Rob’s mouth hanging slightly open. “Are you
What else can’t you do? Read More »