Ginger Snapped

"[W]hat we really gain from the artmaking of others is courage-by-association."                                                                                                  -David Bayles and Ted Orland                                                  Art and Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking

Yesterday, after a solid day of BIC [Butt-in-chair for the non-writers out there], my brain was fatigued. The little decisions of revision -- To be or not to be? To keep or not to keep? Is this a separate scene or part of the same scene? Does it matter? -- immobilized me for any other decisions, like what to make for dinner. While most normal people would just order pizza or go for Chinese, the choices for pizza delivery and Chinese take-out in these parts are scant. I can't over-use them or I lose my sole ace. Sole ace. Solace. It's pretty lame when your sole ace/solace is take-out. No wonder writers tend to live in big cities. There are more options for take-out. Anyway, I turned to Facebook. Let's crowd-source dinner decisions. And Facebook came through. With one single note that I had cauliflower, I got recipes and links to aloo gobi, stir-fried rice/cauliflower, cauliflower alfredo, roasted cauliflower with tahini and yogurt, cauliflower and bacon baked with gruyere ...

1 And the Lord spake unto Moses in mount Sinai, saying, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land which I give you, then shall the land keep a sabbath unto the Lord. 3 Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof; 4 But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the Lord: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard. This blog is in its seventh year, its year of sabbatical. In that year, I have revised two middle grade novels, wrote two picture books, attended three writing retreats, served as a graduate assistant at VCFA, met Julie Paschkis, had lunch with Roger Sutton, spoke to Katherine Paterson, received an honorable mention for the SCBWI Work-in-Progress grant, committed to return to my art studies, and traveled domestically and abroad to refill my cup. It's been a good year. The writing life is alive and well, and n...

...November... Agenda: NaNoWriMo, a visit from my in-laws, a visit from my family, hosting Thanksgiving Nightstand: I am the Cheese (again), Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose , and  Horten's Incredible Illusions . Head:  a hand-knitted and felted beret. It's been cold! List of Gratitudes:  apple-cranberry pie; bathtubs; buttons; chapstick; chiropractors; comedy; dry wood to start fires in the fireplace; fresh eggs; flash lights; good recipes; herbs; ice cream; jam;  liquid measuring cups; maps; Neutrogena Norwegian formula hand cream; pencil sharpeners; rearview mirrors; sharp scissors; spoons; slippers; salt & pepper shakers; soap; towels; tissues; universities; vegetable broth; Vitamin C drops; words; zippers. Mind: the brain. The brain's chemistry. Memory. Neurology. Neurologists. Life. Death. How it all fits together into story. This has been a whirlwind month, brought to you by the letter F. Friends. Fa...