Courtesy of http://cartoonstock.com Faces transform into other appearances and shapes. They change from circles to ovals with a rectangular jaw. One after the other—I feel like I watch a parade of constant change goes by. I did watch a parade go by Saturday. By that afternoon, my gut turned green from changes in my schedule… Continue reading What to do When Nervous Strikes
Author: Corrie's Mom
They say teacher turn over is high right now, and many teachers will leave the profession in five years or less. I will enter my seventh year as a full-time teacher, and my 12th year in education after I'd started as a sub and teacher assistant. I was the student in the 1990s you did not want in your classroom because I was diagnosed with ADHD and did not know how to socialize with other kids. I was due to be tested for autism, but this was considered an ostracizing experience for a child then, especially a girl. I am a third generation teacher and author of seventeen creative works.
What Matters Most: 3 Reasons the Season of Thanks Continues
I am late for an important date: A date with gratitude and a date to blog. Thanksgiving break carried my family and me on a train ride of illness, dealing with death, baking challenges and realizing what matters most. The Christmas shopping season catches our attention with ringing Hersey kisses commercials and bright red and green colors.… Continue reading What Matters Most: 3 Reasons the Season of Thanks Continues
Six Sentence Sunday
Today, I share a contemporary piece. I have shared six sentence scenes from short stories related to my book, Sons of the Edisto. The Good Year is a fresh story in the sense I have not done anything with it yet. I have not shared it with anyone. I've only edited it a few times.… Continue reading Six Sentence Sunday
4 Ways Becoming a Parent Changes a Writer
Everything changes. Seasons, relationships and the way we, as writers, craft words. I had no idea the changes coming when I worked as a journalist in 2009. I know two consistencies: change always occurs and I have always been a writer. Have you examined the ways in which you've changed as a writer or author?… Continue reading 4 Ways Becoming a Parent Changes a Writer
I Will Remember
I will remember beyond the eleventh hour of the eleventh day in the eleventh month. I will remember. Great Uncle Durgin's plane was shot down by the Luftwaffe. His body, never found. His 19 years will not waste away in the Mediterranean Sea. One day—when the time is right—my second child will be named for… Continue reading I Will Remember
No More Reservations: Goodbye Bourdain
Courtesy of http://blogs.houstonpress.com Everything must come to an end. Sadly, Anthony Bourdain's show, No Reservations, is one of them. Tonight at 8 p.m., the Travel Channel will show the series finale in Brooklyn. Due to my schedule, I never watch Bourdain's show when it comes on. I watch reruns later in the week or on… Continue reading No More Reservations: Goodbye Bourdain
How Does Career Choice Affect Writers?
I am reading Carl Hiaasen's Nature Girl. I never doubt Hiaasen's authenticity when it comes to creating over-the-top characters. In journalism, over-the-top is sometimes the norm. What led Hiaasen to become an author? Since falling for his writing style—with which I share certain satirical values in my contemporary stories—I had decided to research the author. I… Continue reading How Does Career Choice Affect Writers?
Book Review: Triple Threat Sunday
What do you look for in a book? A certain writing style, work of art or just a good story that drives you to another place. I discovered all of those things and more rolled into one giant bundle in Douglas Perry's The Girls of Murder City, Suzanne Collins' Mockingjay and Joshilyn Jackson's a grown-up kind of pretty.… Continue reading Book Review: Triple Threat Sunday
What are 5 Reasons why I never made it in Girl World?
Courtesy of http://hiox.org/4241-tomboy--meaning.php. A friend said she pictured me as the future mother of four girls. "I don't know about that," I replied. I knew I did not cut it when it came to the girl world. It was plagued with too many rules that I, as a writer, could not navigate. During college, I… Continue reading What are 5 Reasons why I never made it in Girl World?
Book Review: Catching Fire
The first book in any series must spark a fire. The sequel should make it bigger. Author Suzanne Collins' second book in The Hunger Games series, Catching Fire, takes victors Katniss Everdeen and Peta Mellark on the road. They travel through all twelve districts in Panem plus the Capitol. But, President Snow warns Katniss to "convince him" her… Continue reading Book Review: Catching Fire
Corrie's Season 