The Meandering Path of my Writing Life
My life as a writer started with this little blog, and over the past four years, it’s taken many turns, some I expected, some not so much. But like any good ride, they’ve all been fun. Since I haven’t posted here in (too) many months, I thought...I’ll Keep my Laptop, Thank You
Yesterday, a friend tweeted this article on The Guardian, “Unthinkable? Bring Back Typewriters.” While the author makes some great points about how using a typewriter slows the writer down, thereby making writers more intentional about word choices, and...2012 in review
This report is kind of fun – a good way to break my extended “blog break”! Waaayyyy back in June, I took a hiatus from my twice-weekly posting schedule. I thought (foolishly) that it would only last the summer. What I found was that once I got out of...Blog Break
Ah . . . summer vacation, a time of lazy days sipping lemonade in a hammock with a good book . . . or not. Maybe that’s what summer looks like for some people, but not this girl! I just got back from Forensics Nationals, a super fun but not so relaxing week...Draft #1 – Done!!
A few weeks ago, Nathon Bransford, a writer and blogger I follow, wrote a post asking the question “How long does it take you to finish a draft?” My first gut reaction answer to that question was “F-O-R-E-V-E-R,” but sadly, I couldn’t...Cool Tool to Organize your Writing
I’m the girl who would rather go into an Office Max or The Container Store than the shoe department at Nordstroms. I love any little doo-dads that might make my life a little easier. I like to be organized; I’m not a neat freak, just organized. This past...Are you a Super Hero?
I participated in my final regular season Forensics/Speech and Debate tournament as head coach this weekend, and last night at the awards, each of the coaches shared something they had learned from participating in this thing we call Speech and Debate. One shared that...My Next “Epic Adventure”
Whenever I take my Forensics/Speech & Debate team on a trip, the kids somehow manage to go on “epic adventures.” Sometimes I hear about their shenanigans during the event or just after, but most often, I don’t hear about them until much, much...I’m still a WIP
1) My blog – I finally updated the “about me” page and changed the name of my blog. This is the third name, but that’s okay. It needs to grow with me. It’s now titled, “Speaking of Words, Quilts, and Life.” In reviewing the...If my characters keep dying, does that make me a serial killer?
A week ago it happened. It was happily writing along. One character was telling a story about a situation to another character. I thought I knew what happened. I was writing it after all, but then, when the character finished telling the story, he let it slip that...Forgetting Fear
I got back from Sedona yesterday, and my husband commented on the picture of me on Devil’s Bridge that my sister had sent him. “How in the hell did she get you to go out there?” he asked. He is used to me refusing to even ride a ferris wheel because...Writing in a Coffee Shop
One of my goals for this spring break was to take my laptop to a coffee shop and write. Just about every time I enter into a coffee shop, I see people with laptops. Clearly, there is a portion of the population who find them productive places to work, and I wanted...If I can write, I can write . . . right?
This past weekend, I had a two by four hit me in the head again, as life hammered another lesson home. It’s a lesson that I’ve learned before, but one that I clearly needed to learn again, hence the two by four. On Friday morning, my alarm went off at 4...Every Story HAS NOT Been Told
The idea that every story has already been told is a potentially depressing one for a writer embarking on a writing journey. The problem with this saying is that it’s patently false. Every story has not been told. When people say this, they mean that every story...Keep Your Day Job AND Write . . . How?
This summer I attended the Willamette Writers’ Conference. Many of the writers and presenters there kept saying, “keep your day job.” There’s even a pretty good blog that I occasionally read called www.writerwithadayjob.com that offers tips and motivation to keep...Fear of Finishing
Last week I pulled out a bunch of fabric to start a new quilt. It’s not that I don’t have enough current projects to work on, (there are at least eight). It’s that I like starting projects. There’s so much potential at the beginning of a project, whether it’s a new...How do you say a word without really saying it?
I had an interesting conversation with one of my students this past week. He decided that since he has been suffering from a severe case of Senioritis since August, now that the Forensics season is almost over, he’d like to write a new expository speech. Apparently,...I’m Free (from an outline that is)
I’m at the point in my story where I’m no longer glued to my outline. I’ve got about 15,000 words left to go, and I’m finally FREE. I know some of you are probably thinking that I’m almost done, so really, am I free from my outline? The answer is clear to me. Yes. I...Where do scenes come from?
I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately as I’ve spent the last two weeks taking notes and writing down ideas anticipating the day I’d have time to sit down and write something. After working probably 75+ hours over each of the last two weeks (sometimes being...Scissor Slut
I’m a little bit crazy about my good fabric scissors. In fact, I guard them kind of like how Rumpelstiltskin guarded his name, and like good old Rump, I get a little crazy when somebody steals my scissors and potentially ruins their magic. There are paper scissors all...Being a Beta
During the past two weeks, I have re-entered the world of being labeled with a Greek letter and become a Beta. No, I have not rediscovered my inner sorority girl (though I can still proudly sing the Greek alphabet). I have become a Beta reader. This is the official...Small Stones #1
“A small stone is a very short piece of writing that precisely captures a fully-engaged moment.” This is defined on the website www.writingourwayhome.ning.com which hosts a free mindful writing challenge called The River for the month of January. The idea is for...‘Tis the Season
Following the Christmas holiday, I was talking to a friend expressing my frustration with my lack of progress on my novel. I told her I had been thinking a lot about it, but for whatever reason, I hadn’t been able to sit down and write much on it, or at least as much...Reading for Fun
“You seriously bought a book called Hot Rocks?” my husband asked. “Yep. It looks good too!” Most every published author will tell you that you need to read, and read a lot, in order to write. I have always read a lot, but this past year it seems I’ve been reading...Lessons Learned from 2011 to Help Build 2012
In listing my accomplishments from 2011, I also discovered some important lessons I’ve learned. While my list of accomplishments made me feel pretty good, it is the lessons those things taught me that I need to remember to carry forward as I live 2012 with...Staying the Course with “Leaverites” & Einstein
Sitting in the corner of my writing desk is a rock cairn that I bought at a mining supply store. I didn’t buy it right away. I came home, thought about how ridiculous it was to actually buy a stack of rocks, and then went back and got it. It’s my favorite writing...Writing Strategies to get the Novel DONE (hopefully)
This Thanksgiving season, I’m thankful for this blog. It has given me the courage to make my writing public, something I have never done before. It has forced me to stick to a writing schedule. I’ve posted every Monday and Thursday, except for a few misses here and...Tying Up Loose Ends
Last week, I got inspired to create a denim soccer quilt for my daughter. She made the varsity squad as a Freshman, and her team made the 3A state playoffs. I had a pattern that I bought probably twelve years ago, and I had all the denim, so I decided I could whip...The Lost Art of Letter Writing
A few weeks ago, my husband’s aunt sent me a handwritten letter. I will be honest here – when I first received it, I opened it up, felt the thickness of the folded up yellow sheets, and inwardly groaned. I wanted to have enough time to sit and read the entire...The Taste of Fall
Fall brings with it Halloween, falling leaves, football and piles of unripe green tomatoes stacked in our windowsills and piled in bowls on the kitchen counter, all rescued from the impending first frost. Some of the tomatoes ripen enough to eat or can, but many...The Liebster Award
A thank you goes out to Claire McA who nominated my blog for the Liebster Blog Award. This last week, I neglected my blog in favor of Homecoming Week festivities. As a high school teacher and mom of teens, it was a busy week, so her kind words about my writing and...Writing Lessons from an Ugly Quilt
I’ve completed one quilt that is truly ugly, and that is because I decided to use only what I had on hand to make it. It’s hideous; there’s no other word for it. I used a focus fabric that had teals, rusty oranges, some purples, and pops of yellow. I...Stay on the “Write” Path – No shortcuts allowed
Yesterday I stole a few hours to myself and drove up the Ruby Mountains to a trail head near my house. For some reason, it is a place that inspires me to write. I set a chair in the shade next to a willow and for the first time in a few weeks, I got a lot of writing...Wonky Blocks and Scenes
I have no idea why I am so drawn to anything having to do with quilts . . . but I am. I bought my first book on how to make a quilt when I was seventeen years old though I never did make one then. For college graduation I asked for and received a sewing machine. I...Getting Characters to Come and Play . . . or Not
I’ve been waiting for someone. This is not someone I know, but someone I want to get to know. Actually, she’s a character. I didn’t realize she was a somewhat major character until last week when her role in my story grew. Now, I need to get to know her in order...Scrap Strategies
After I finished up my last quilt, I had a giant pile of leftover coordinated scraps from mitered borders and extra blocks. I stared at this pile of fabric for a while and couldn’t come up with a solution, so I shoved it onto a corner of my cutting table and left it...The Quilt as a Symbol in Fiction
When I got my MA, I had to write a thesis. The challenge was coming up with some area of literature to analyze that had not been done a million times already. I love quilts and American lit., so I combined those to interests and somehow convinced my professors that...Six Benefits of Writer’s Block
I’ve been suffering from writer’s block, that hideous stuck feeling when I sit down to write. Yesterday morning, I finally broke through it, but during my week of being stuck, I spent some time thinking about the benefits of writer’s block. There must be some reason...Messy Desk = Inspiration
I’ve decided to give up on my desk. I’ve rearranged it, organized it, tidied it dozens of times, but by the end of my every writing session, it looks the same way, disastrous. This is odd for me. I’m a fanatically organized person. If there was such a thing called...Welcome to my Writing Blog
I’m Amy, a writer, a teacher, a designer, and an all-around creative soul. This blog has my musings on life, writing, quilts, and a whole bunch of ‘how-to” write better posts, too.