Thoughts
I write a lot. Essays. Articles. Blog posts. All of them sharing what I’m thinking about. Maybe you think about these things, too.
Why Read About Murder?
We mystery readers really, really like to read about death. Suspicious deaths, orchestrated deaths, clever deaths, carefully planned deaths. What is up with that?
What Do You Keep?
Getting rid of what we don’t need, what we’ve outgrown, what is cluttering our minds and hearts as well as our homes and offices, means there is space to add different things and experiences and people. It can help us rewrite the story of who we are.
Biblio-What?
The method is simple. You think or pray your question or intention, close your eyes, open the book at a random page, and point somewhere on the page. The line or passage you’ve pointed to is your answer.
The Marvelously, Impossibly Dark Magic of Twin Peaks
I’m all for escapism at the moment, and recently I managed to dig out my DVD set of the original David Lynch Twin Peaks series that became such a cult classic. And it drew me in all over again. I’m not a film-maker, but I am a fellow storyteller, and this time around I didn’t just immerse myself in its magic, but tried to analyze how it did what it did.
What Makes Empires Die (and why we’re up next)
So what do we do? The United States under Donald Trump (and he did not create the empire, but has mismanaged it to the point of accelerating its decline) is essentially a “dead empire walking;” it’s all but impossible to return to a healthier point in the trajectory.
Is That Hope?
I didn’t finish watching the series this time around, and a thought came into my head: they couldn’t have done this show now.
The Cards You’re Dealt
Knowing what to do with the cards in our hand may not be as efficacious as being able to determine what they are, but it’s a hell of a lot better than just giving up because you don’t like them.
Language and Racism
I am a white woman who grew up not only with white privilege but with economic privilege as well. And until fairly recently, I’ve also been something of a curmudgeon when it comes to language usage and grammar.
That’s not a very good combination.
How Much Is Enough?
We have enough, and our lives are good enough, and that is a very grand achievement.
We Are the Hurricane
What we’re not good at is realizing in this time of plague that the storm isn’t somewhere out there. That we don’t need to protect ourselves from wind and waves, but from each other. That, this time around, we are the hurricane.
What You Do... Or Who You Are?
I guess I’m the exception to that rule. I am a writer. It’s not just what I do to earn a living, it’s who I am.
A Different Resolution for 2020
Mostly, I’ve found, resolutions are about gaining control. Setting goals to attain, like writing a book or losing weight. Getting better at something, like being more organized or finding more prayer time. Reading more. Watching less TV. All of that? It’s about exercising control over the environment, my life, and my future.
And then this year, just over a week before Christmas, I understood exactly how little control I actually have.
If You Meet Me, Beware
I’m a shameless example. I carry a notebook with me. I eavesdrop on conversations, I peer into lighted rooms at night, I ask seemingly innocent questions of strangers.
Creativity Meditation
Sometimes in order to tap your creativity, you have to just step back and breathe.
Art & Politics & Weight
Yes, it’s important to reflect and comment on and challenge people around reality, but it’s also important to imagine something better.
Travel the World!
One of the things I’ve always loved about books and reading is how you can explore places you’ll never actually visit; you can travel the world without leaving your favorite chair.
Travel Lightly
We know we’re lucky to be here … and you are, too. Let’s act as if we can share these fleeting months of sunshine and beauty.
The Nights Will Flame with Fire
Keeping going once the flames are out, whether with writing or with life: that’s the tricky part.
This Post Has Nothing to Do with Writing
Holy Week had only just begun when the palms of Sunday gave way to the flames of Notre-Dame de Paris on Monday. I was struck in particular by one of the images, which I’ve attached here, of the cathedral's gargoyles silhouetted against the fire. Gargoyles were meant to be protectors, but on this night they were helpless to protect.