Life in the fast lane--where's the on ramp?

By Pat_B - About Me - E-mail this page - Add to My Favorites - Add to Blog List - See other blogs in Journal

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Serendipity and the Suzuki Method

Sunday was my volunteer shift at the Carnegie's used bookshop at the library. Its decor includes a mural of Andrew J. himself, since our building was originally funded by that benefactor (1906). We volunteers are members of the E-town Library Friends (ELFs). My "salary" for working two hours on a... Sign in to see full entry.

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Tuesday, February 5, 2013

A cupcake birthday...

For a month now I've been thinking of celebrating on Feb. 6th with a cupcake and one candle, or perhaps cooking up a pot of good old southern style beans and ham and baking some cornbread and inviting my boys over for supper. The 6th is their dad's birthday, he'd have been seventy-five. He passed... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 5:58 AM | add or view comments (8) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Monday, February 4, 2013

Storymatic – six trillion stories…

It’s a game. It’s a writing prompt. It’s about $39.95 at Writer’s Market. Comes in a plain brown wrapper… no, wait, that’s a whole ‘nother game. There are cards, gold for characters, copper for plot. You pick two gold cards, and merge them into one character. In my first attempt I drew “Security... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 3:48 PM | add or view comments (7) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Suspense Thriller Writers - Lee Child and Wm. F. Buckley

I've been reading my way through commercials lately while my soap or some other show's on the air. You get in quite a few pages these days because the commercials are so frequent and so l-o-n-g. I read an older one by William F. Buckley, a political thriller titled "Brothers No More," set in the... Sign in to see full entry.

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Sunday, February 3, 2013

Birthday Magic...

Baby Kaitlin was born a year ago yesterday, and her folks posted that first photo again a couple days ago. New mother Nicole sitting up against the pillows of her hospital bed, holding daughter in her swaddle of blankets, studying the little face and thinking what a mother thinks when she first... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 4:27 AM | add or view comments (6) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Saturday, February 2, 2013

Focus Group, Part 3

Later, the banker and the Indian argue about the culture clash between indigenous peoples and the European settlers. The banker shook his head in denial. “What we brought was progress. We turned empty wasteland into economically viable real estate.” Dustmann said confidently. “Progress, Banker? My... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 5:32 AM | add or view comments (6) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Friday, February 1, 2013

Woman's Work, conversation with myself - Focus Group part 2

(Eloise just asked me where I was going with her character...) Now we’re getting somewhere, I think. She’s put her finger on something. “When I started the story I was working in pissed-off feminist mode. You were supposed to use every weapon in the female arsenal to beat men at their own game,” I... Sign in to see full entry.

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Thursday, January 31, 2013

Woman's Work... (conversation w/ myself about the story)

Scene: loft space in Seattle, morning. Focus Group Meeting between the author and her characters to iron out some plot problems. Everything’s ready: shiny metal pitchers and water glasses, paper napkins, a steaming coffee urn, three dozen assorted doughnuts and bagels, crockery mugs, sugar, cream. A... Sign in to see full entry.

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Wednesday, January 30, 2013

From the archive - Conclusion

Jillian was about half-convinced the whole thing had been a dream. But they hadn’t smoked anything, no shrooms, no acid. All they’d had were a couple shots of José Cuérvo. They kept the radio on as they ate breakfast and packed away their gear. Jillian’s heart raced as the newscaster reported the... Sign in to see full entry.

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Tuesday, January 29, 2013

From the archive - part 2

“I’m a scout. We are explorers.” The creature’s lips did not move, she simply heard the words in her mind, a calm, modulated, almost feminine voice. There was no “take me to your leader” or any other cliché. Jillian felt warmth in various parts of her body, even her head, as the alien examined her.... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 3:18 AM | add or view comments (5) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

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Sometimes you have to write it down in order to learn what you really think about life, what it means, how to do what's best. Sometimes you need feedback from someone else to put things in perspective.

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