It’s been a long time since I started a new novel. Well, maybe not as long as it seems. I had an aborted attempt around a year ago. But I’m really zeroing in on novel writing now, and I’m discovering something I probably knew, on some level, but didn’t really, y’know… KNOW. Namely, that when…
Read MoreAll articles filed in writer’s block
When you are completely blank…
…you lead with a big congratulations to the Cubs and their devoted fans! It’s been harder and harder to come up with blog posts lately, because I’m trying to figure out what I have to say that people actually want to hear. It’s become such a block for me that last Thursday, I forgot about blogging…
Read MoreRoller Coasters
First comes the idea. That electrifying, spark-you-wide-awake-no-matter-how-tired-you-are nugget of a concept that tells you you’ve hit the jackpot. It seems so crystal-clear, so obvious, like you could start writing this very moment. But then you realize you don’t have the foggiest idea what the details surrounding that concept are. So you start brainstorming. And you…
Read MoreThe Hazards of Living In A Musical Family, and other Updates on my Babies
Alex After the LEGO movie a couple of years ago, Alex started singing “Everything is awesome” all.the.time. Woe was me. Then, knowing I loathed the song even more than I loathed the movie, he started teasing me by singing “Percy Jackson ro-ocks!” on the same tune. Then he got tired of Julianna’s obsession with Frozen,…
Read MoreIn Which I Am Having A Serious Case of Adolescent Identity Crisis
___1___ This week in novel writing I have been tackling the dreaded Query and Short Pitch. For those who are not initiated into this most stress-inducing of rites, let me enlighten you. Or not. Everyone has a different idea of what works, and it is the ultimate game of “read the teacher’s mind,” trying to…
Read MoreEarly Morning: Taking stock on the cusp of a new year
It’s quiet outside this morning, and the slim sliver of cream-colored moon, its remainder a charcoal disc, lounges in a straight line with two bright stars in the eastern sky. Last night was yet another bad night in a month-long string of bad nights (where, oh where did my lovely easygoing baby go? Is this…
Read MoreIndulging in a Bit of Good, Old-Fashioned Stream of Consciousness
Lately I’m suffering from extreme lack of creativity in blogging. Of course, it doesn’t help that it’s turning into one of Those Times. You know. The ones when all petty irritations converge on a point, namely your nerves, and suddenly all the drama of the Furies comes gushing out of your mouth upon the heads…
Read MoreSatisfied With Where I Am
“I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do…
Read More7 Quick Takes
___1___ I’ve heard about this one before, but I’ve never seen it on a video. A HS football player with Down’s, who gets to score a touchdown. This is a terrific 45-second video that will make you smile. ___2___ Here’s the blog post it came from; read it or don’t, I don’t care; it was really the picture…
Read MoreIn Search of the bon mot
I suppose it’s writer’s block. The swirling of ideas without focus. The blank brain mirroring white screen. The missing vocabulary. The onslaught of clichés…the inability to come up with a single fresh thought. And vining around writer’s block, self-loathing. The inner critic who says, There’s no market for what you want to write. You’ll never…
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Kathleen M. Basi 