pursuing the writing life in still, small moments
"Flannery O'Connor said that anyone who survived childhood has enough material to write for the rest of his or her life." ~Anne Lamott "Getting Started" Bird by Bird "No matter how far I venture outside my own experience, I also know that I am who I am, and that my work will always reflect my … Continue reading Writing Life
As I explained in an earlier post, I like to use short fiction exercises to better acquaint myself with characters from a longer work. Sometimes I finish with a paragraph or two that puts a little flesh on an otherwise thin character; sometimes I gain a better sense of the character's voice, and sometimes a … Continue reading Short Story: Three Chickens
VII. No, leave that one on the ground. Don’t be fooled by the ruddy lustre captivating your tongue’s imagination. It looks like a crisp bite, a mouthful of firm flesh and sweet juice. Turn it over. See where the taut skin thinned, failed open to marauders. Leave it. Let it nourish next year’s fruit. K. … Continue reading Next Year’s Fruit
I'm currently writing a children's story. It's a great deal of fun, primarily because I'm writing with my children in mind, thinking about what will interest and entertain them. They really are the perfect audience: endlessly forgiving and easily amused. In this story, I'm just getting to know a particular character. I know she walks every morning and … Continue reading A Children’s Story (Excerpt)
IV. LORD, one of these days I’ll stop singing other people’s songs. Their words will die on my lips when a simple melody creeps out of my fearful heart and makes a dash for freedom, growing stronger in the light like all things good. K. Ashby
It's a joy to recommend a good book. This one is light, yet inspiring, easy to pick up here and there, in the quiet moments. My Life in France is much more than an easy gift for the foodies in your life. Julia Child's memoir of her time in France is the story of her love affair … Continue reading My Life in France, by Julia Child
I have written two short stories solely for the purpose of exploring individual characters from a longer work. There were two benefits to this exercise. First, I got a firmer grasp on each character's motivations. Second, I was able to procrastinate on the longer work and still claim to be writing. The following excerpt is the … Continue reading Short Stories
VI. Some thoughts I think so quietly I don't realize that they're there, lightly passing. My mind might grasp one and take it out for air, but some-- some are stuffed out of sight-- locked tight away where two small windows let in the light of day. K. Ashby
One of the pleasures of moving into a new home is tearing open boxes of books to rescue the favorites packed away for the duration of the move. When driving cross country in a suburban packed with seven humans, space is precious. In fact, the only physical book I carried along on this recent journey was … Continue reading Unpacking Old Friends
Six years ago, when my family moved from a suburban lot in Texas to the feet of Great Smoky Mountain National Park, I felt we had entered Eden. Rivers brimmed with water, the landscape curved voluptuous, and trees covered hills and mountains in the rich, warm shades of autumn. Soon after our arrival, I wrote the following. I … Continue reading In the Company of Trees
In the Quiet 