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

Friday, October 12, 2012

Excerpt - Part 3 - Dr. Mike tries again

“Evie, there’s a lot you don’t know.” “Such as?” “Such as, how important this child is, and whose child other than yours he is, what he means to… Well, let’s just say what he means to people like me.” “So, maybe now you’ll tell me whose child is he,” she said. “If he’s not the end of some big shot’s... Sign in to see full entry.

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Excerpt - part 2: more pressure

“I don’t understand your problem here, Mr. Simpkins. My request is legal. I have good reasons why I need to terminate this pregnancy.” “And what might they be?” Simpkins asked. She stood silent. He stared until she dropped her gaze. “Oh, all right. The main – no… one reason I took the surrogate... Sign in to see full entry.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Excerpt - part 1

CHAPTER 5: RUDE QUESTION “Well, Ms. Proctor, you and your baby are both perfectly in spec,” Dr. Mike Forrester smiled as he noted her file. “It looks like your time in zero gravity has had no significant effect. Any questions or concerns?” “How soon can you arrange for an abortion?” “What?” Mike’s... Sign in to see full entry.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

It's an old story... a twice-told tale... twice, thrice, who's counting?

There's no new story. No plot you can come up with is completely original, it's all been done, from boy meets girl to the butler did it. The only thing new is your way of putting it together, your characters, your particular twists and turns along the way. So my cool new idea (in 1978) about a... Sign in to see full entry.

Monday, October 8, 2012

Writing "Adam's Mother" - Naming the characters

I asked a girl to read a chapter of the latest draft - this was around 2001 and my story had been revised to a fare-thee-well. At the time my working title was "Last Man." The names of major characters had changed a few times, but my title character was always Evelyn Proctor. It seemed important to... Sign in to see full entry.

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Character issues

When I first started "Adam's Mother" I strongly identified with my protagonist. In those days I didn't use the words "protagonist" or "antagonist" - it was heroine and villain. My heroine was a woman working a man's job - ex Air Force astronaut running her own salvage operation collecting space junk... Sign in to see full entry.

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Talk about your "cold edit"

Last week I read something from Writer's Digest about editing -- tip of the week was to let writing chill for a week or two. Don't try to edit or revise while you're still flushed in love with what you've written. Your hot, beloved darlings cannot be touched or amended -- but after the thrill is... Sign in to see full entry.

Friday, October 5, 2012

"Eight Things You Didn't Know You Could Paint"

In an email newsletter this a.m., HGTV included an article with this title. With our Kabu in mind, I decided to check it out. Item 1: baby food jars. Paint 'em white, put labels on and use them to store spices, nuts & bolts etc. Well, that's nothing new, but it's still a good idea. (I use empty... Sign in to see full entry.

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Hospice

In the end the one dying pays a fare; counts out treasured coins of memory as Xanax soothes away anxiety and the fresh breeze of morphine cools festering memories of transgressions others have long since forgiven. The bright coins are compensation for the toll-taker who makes the crossing safe,... Sign in to see full entry.

About my timeless moon blog - a few days ago

I sent a copy to my kids. Their dad passed away on the 16th of July, and we've had a lot of conversations about his life and what it meant since then. Naturally, most of our conversations were about his failing health and the unbelievable recoveries he made. We'd given him up several times in recent... Sign in to see full entry.

Headlines (What is this?)