Starting Points

Starting Points

  Sometimes I think back to Etta Bend, to the middle child in a family of three girls and one boy who grew up there, as the starting point for my family, at least for my mother’s branch. Then, of course Dad’s side had another starting point in Mena, Arkansas. From those beginnings came (so far) five, […]

The God of Starting Over AGain

The God of Starting Over AGain

When I was a little girl, lo! and these many years ago, I wrote stories. I started young. My stories probably resembled soap operas. They would go on and on, the plot would become so involved, that I had no idea how I was going to get the characters out of their muddle, so, I […]

It Shouldn’t End That Way!

It Shouldn’t End That Way!

Yesterday, we thought about first impressions, introductions to books, and if the way a story begins is important. I kind of like a story to grab my attention with the first sentence, but I’ve read a few books that didn’t really get interesting until toward the last of the first chapter. Today, let’s think about how […]

Every Jot and Tittle

You’ve seen the cliche: the writer staring out the window appearing to be idle while she’s actually thinking of the next part of her story. I sympathize with that writer. It could be me! I’m on the re-write of the third Darcy/Flora mystery and re-writes and critiques are pain-staking necessities. The Cozy Critiquers are giving […]