Orphan Annie thought going to the movies was beyond her wildest dreams. During the Great Depression, the time in which Annie takes place, movies offered escapism. I can count on one finger how many times I've attended the movie theatre this year due to the economy. But, I have not missed a movie education. In… Continue reading Let’s Go to the Movies
Category: Education
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
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: The Hunger Games
Thoughts Five, seventh grade students waited for their turn to the leave the classroom last spring. The Hunger Games was scheduled to open that Friday night. “So, what do you guys think of The Hunger Games?” I asked my kids. Never in my life have middle school students surrounded me. You would’ve thought I was… Continue reading Book Review: The Hunger Games
Time Enough to Write
Ti You might have missed me. Maybe you missed my words, or maybe you didn't. I borrowed today's title from one of my husband's favorite books, Robert A. Heinlein's Time Enough for Love. While the 1970's award-winning, Science Fiction book examines the life and loves of Lazarus Long—the oldest living man—the book caused me to consider an… Continue reading Time Enough to Write
The Man who Started it All
He was a man of faith. He was a man of science. He was the man who stood at the train station in Alabama one day after being fired. This man saw the manager who let him go. "Did you come to see me off?" he asked the manager. "No," he replied. "One hour after… Continue reading The Man who Started it All
Why We Need to Pay Attention to Men and Boys
JD Bannister wants attention. Not just anyone's attention. He needs his father to care. In the opinion of my character, Andrew Bannister, his son has everything. He provides JD with a big house, playroom, and expensive toys and clothes. A main character in the manuscript, Sons of the Edisto, JD experiences another kind of desertion.… Continue reading Why We Need to Pay Attention to Men and Boys
From Some Other Beginning’s End — The Last Chapter
Pitch black dominates the room. Five thirty in the morning. You have one more chapter to write. "I thought you were getting back into your schedule," someone says. In a teenager's groan of just ten more minutes, you roll over. The early mornings and the last chapter of your manuscript present a challenge whether you're… Continue reading From Some Other Beginning’s End — The Last Chapter
When Naming Names
By Rebecca T. Dickinson One of the most common conversations I've had with writers and friends lately is: What do I do about names in my book? or Can writers name real people in their books? The conversation crosses the road from creative art to business. I know few writers who want to discuss the… Continue reading When Naming Names
Corrie's Season 