Starting off this post with a PSA: Go watch Ripple on Netflix. I need more seasons of this show!
Okay, now I’ll loop back and talk about what brings me to this request…
Read more2 Reasons I'm not moving to Substack.
I’m trying something new.
Read moreThe Crayons I Bring to the Function
I’m working on a new book idea. And this time, I’m doing more upfront planning such as outlining and character development. I’m also reading more craft books. In Lisa Cron’s excellent Story Genius, she includes a story about elementary schoolers trying to write stories by throwing everything they can think of into a single plot prompt. She refers to it as “drawing with every crayon in the box.”
Which got me thinking… Which crayons do my characters have to color with, and how does that affect the way I draw them in on the page?
Do you DNF (Did Not Finish) Books?
Has this ever happened to you? The library hold you’ve waited months for finally comes in. It’s the book recommended by every club and BookToker. It’s won awards and been heralded as The Next Big Thing. Excitedly, you dig in… and find yourself thinking: “Huh?” “What is everyone else seeing that I’m not?” and finally: “What is wrong with me?”
The answer is: Nothing. Nothing is wrong. There are lots of reasons a book isn’t hitting for you, and you don’t need to feel guilty about any of them.
Read moreSomething Better: Corinne's Birthday (the original scene)
If you’ve known me awhile, you’ll know that I’m not a fan of Valentine’s Day. I’m not anti-love or romance, far from it (how could any Gen Xer raised on Lloyd Dobler standing outside with a boombox not be a little sappy about romance?). I just think love should be about the little things we do for one another daily, not all lumped into a once-a-year-gesture. Plus, I refuse to go out on Valentine’s Day because I think it’s entirely possible an employee, bitter at being scheduled on what has got to be the worst night of the year for servers, will spit in my mushroom risotto.
Some of my Valentine’s Day cynicism spilled over to Corinne, and the following is my original attempt to bring Corinne’s complicated relationship with love and romance to light. Enjoy!