Writing Free

The Eccentric Writer

     Did you ever hear someone called eccentric and wonder exactly what that meant?

Eccentric:

Departing from a recognized, conventional, or established norm or pattern.

    In other words, eccentric describes someone who doesn’t do things the way someone else thinks they should be done! A person who marches to the beat of his own drum is eccentric.

    That describes all or most of us. We do things our own way, giving necessary homage to conformity but not bowing to it completely.

    Writers are eccentric. Probably no two writers write exactly the same way with respect to time, place, and method. Some are pantsers, some are plotters, and some are a combination of both. Somewhere there are writers who still pound out the daily word count on an old-fashioned typewriter. Others must have state-of-the-art computers and the top writing program to fully express their creativity. Others swear by the old #2 pencil and yellow legal tablet or something similar.

    Some write in the morning, some write at night, some write on the job (i.e. dull business meetings), and some scribble a few words whenever they find a few spare minutes. Some write all day in their heads—life becomes their story.

    Some have a well-organized writing space, while others can call up the muse anywhere—sitting on a beach, lounging on the back patio, even behind the steering wheel.

    Some writers have rules for writing: a certain number of words per day, a certain amount of time spent writing before allowing a break, editing as they go, churning out the words and worrying about them later, research first, writing second, research as you go.

    Here’s my take: I do what works for me—when it works for me—where it works for me—and how it works for me.

So do what works for you. Write your story. Just write it. No one is going to know or care about any of the above!

One Thing at a Time

     So, I have too many projects, especially writing projects, going at the same time, and they’re all clamoring to be prioritized. Of course, I could say that too much to do is better than not enough to do, and that’s certainly true. But each project needs my full attention if it’s going to be worth finishing, so I have to make some decisions.

     At least forty years ago, I got an idea for what was going to be the most brilliant novel ever written. And it wasn’t bad. It just put Gone with the Wind to shame length-wise. Also, I became so attached to all the characters that, even though I killed them off one by one, I couldn’t let go of their lives. The novel was finished in a holding pattern. After several attempts to rewrite, edit, and otherwise whip it into shape, I just left it languishing on the computer and moved on.

     Recently I got another idea. (Ideas in my head aren’t necessarily workable, practical, or good.) I would publish the novel on my website a chapter at a time, even though I might well be pushing ninety when it was done. My writing partner thought I should do it. (Sharon, I will make you pay for this!) And another writing friend read some of it and wanted more.

     Therefore—Blest Be the Tie is being posted chapter by rewritten chapter on my website, and yes, it will get the big three-oh at the end one of the days. (That’s journalistic lingo for the end.) Somewhere in my bleary-eyed planning, I realized that it was way past time for it to be finished forever. So, until it’s done, my other writing projects are on hold.

     Homicide Hotel, What Are the Cactus Hiding?, and the two sequels to The Legacy of Diamond Springs won’t go anywhere until I kick Blest Be the Tie to the curb. Forgotten Faces of San Angelo (my first and last non-fiction attempt) is also on hold. At least the research is done, and most of the stories are written as a first draft. All that’s needed is sourcing them and acquiring permission for pictures to go in them.

     On my bulletin board is a cartoon picture of a very frazzled female and the words, God put me on earth to accomplish a certain number of things. Right now I am so far behind, I will never die.

     But I “ain’t” getting any younger, so all these unfinished projects must move forward in 2026! I don’t want to be sitting here facing yet another birthday next year and feeling guilty about what’s not done.

 Of Happy Endings, Epilogues, and Sequels

How do you know when “The End” is really “The End”? Probably most authors would say, “When the story’s finished!” Well, maybe, and again, maybe not.

Personally, I have a hard time with a strong finish. Oh, it’s happily ever after and all that. Readers like HEAs better than having their favorite characters killed off. But real life--and I do try to write real characters living real lives--don’t necessarily live HEA. Life happens.

So, I’m addicted to epilogues. I write them. Or, if there’s no epilogue in the book I’m reading, I create one if I’ve bonded with the characters.

The obsession with dotting the last ‘I’ and crossing the final ‘t’ crept into my soul when I was fourteen and went to see the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific…and promptly fell in love with the dreamy French planter Emile DeBecque and perky Nurse Nellie Forbush. The camera pulls back on the two holding hands under the table on the veranda (after Emile has miraculously returned from a dangerous mission for the U.S. Navy) while his children eat their soup. Oh, be still, my beating heart! There had to be more than the music swell and the segue to the sparkling blue water of the South Pacific! I spent many years composing the events of Emile’s and Nellie’s lives together. Alas, it’s all in the trash now, but it was quite satisfying for my adolescent romantic fantasies.

I’ve read (and ignored) advice by successful authors about not writing an epilogue. In the final book of the Penelope Pembroke Cozy Mystery Series, Sam’s Last Stand, I added a full-blown chapter which detailed the future lives of all the main and supporting characters. Later, in the final book of the Dreamland Series, Ghostly Gambit in Dreamland, I did the same.

And the obsession with dotting that last ‘i’ and final ‘t’ lives on. I don’t always write epilogues if I think I might write a sequel, but some books just don’t need a sequel. The story is told...over...done. Then again, who knows? 

What Takes You Away from Your Writing?

Well, let’s see. How about real life? It would be wonderful to live in a

houseboat

remote mountain cabin

luxury condo, all amenities provided

beachfront house

hotel penthouse suite, room service on demand

but most of us simply dream of those destinations without actually ever experiencing them even for a short time. Writers have to live as well as write. Maybe we say we live to write, but if we were honest, we’d have to admit we take care of the living part so we can get to the writing with a clear conscience.

     I’ve read countless articles on organizing one’s writing space, and I’ve tried a number of ways to do it, finally settling on one that works for me. I’ve read even more articles on making a writing schedule including

number of words to write per hour/day...i.e. NaNoWriMo

how many/what kind of breaks to take/when to take them

researching first, during, after the writing is done

getting people to leave you alone during the sacred writing time

     I’ve tried to follow many tidbits of advice while discarding others. Nothing really works. It’s not a one size fits all    situation, because all of us are different and live in different circumstances.

     It boils down to Do what works for you.

     Currently, I’ve hit on what I consider the most ideal writing situation I’ve ever had: I’ve found a writing spot. Two years ago I moved home to stay and have been getting reacquainted with my old hometown. Shortly after I moved back, a new coffee shop opened just a 3 minute drive from my retirement community, and I said—of course, what else—Hot diggety dog!

     Not only have I come full circle, realizing it is located in a long-closed department store where I used to visit Santa and look at toys during the Christmas season, it is a veritable paradise of comfort and convenience, and the staff even knows me by name now!

     I don’t get in there everyday, but on the days I do, I spend about two profitable hours with a diet Coke or hot chocolate—sometimes a yummy made-to-order breakfast sandwich—and come away feeling that I’ve accomplished more than I would have in my designated home office.

     What takes me away from writing at Bearded Barista? Absolutely nothing. The focus is complete. Perhaps I’ll stop to chat with one of the staff or another customer, but the writing still gets done. I don’t even turn on the internet Research is done in advance and printed out, so it’s in front of me, and I don’t have to stop the flow of words.

     That’s as good as it’s going to get at my age—but it’s perfectly satisfying to me!

     My sage advice—oh, you didn’t ask for it? Here it is anyway: Find what works for you and do it!

Writing from a Prompt: It's Not That Hard

     I like writing from prompts and, in fact, lay out a writing journal with washi tape-edged pages and pre-picked prompts in a journal. I have several journals filled and one in progress. These one-page entries can be the beginning, the middle, or the end of a story and can be expanded into a free-standing short.

     If the sight of a prompt turns your blood cold and sends you fleeing for safety, start with a setting. Setting is important. It creates the whole basis for the story. It may be a great story, but if you don’t know where it’s happening and what’s going on where it’s happening, you’ve lost the basis for your story.

     Weather is an important part of setting. Stormy weather hooks. Sunny weather makes you feel good. Threatening weather can go either way.

     How about time of day? Nighttime is a sure-fire hook, especially if you’re afraid of the dark. Morning brings hope. Afternoon and evening is a good time for a deep breath and reflection.

     And location--oh, what possibilities! Old houses, forests, dangerous parts of big cities, cozy small towns, luxurious resorts, Europe, Asia, the Middle East (though I don’t want to travel to the latter right now), anywhere you haven’t been or would like to go (do your research). I could go on and on, but you get the picture. Take yourself away. I do.

     Finally, feelings. They run the gamut: joy, sorrow, fear, tension, disgust, anger, contentment, restlessness, love, hate...go for it.

     Numerous books and articles have been written about prompts. The one I use most is Master Lists for Writers by Bryn Donovan (available on Amazon). But you don’t need a book. Just look around you. Listen to conversations in passing. Take a location from a news article. When a memory pops into your head, consider the feelings it engenders.

     Go look. Go listen. Go read. Go write. Fly away to worlds unknown, and take your readers with you!

Free to Write?

You should be…

     I just finished reading Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones for the second time. It had been a few years, so everything was “new” to me, although I realized I had incorporated some of her advice over the years.

Intending to copy down a few sage lines, I reopened the book to Chapter One, and then I realized that there was no way to even scan for those lines. I’d end up re-reading for the third time!

     But the overall feeling I came away with was freedom:

• to write whenever and wherever

• to write whatever (just write)

• to feel like a failure

• to feel like a winner

• to focus on the task at hand—or not

• to keep notebooks

• to write for fun or for a living, although the former is preferable

• to write what you know—or what you don’t know

• to go home and reconnect

• to go far away and connect in a different way

• to live simply because you want to write

• to accept yourself as a writer

• to appreciate other writers

• And last but not least...just write for the love of it!

     I highly recommend this short volume with short chapters which have off-the-wall titles but contain, deep within their prose, some solid ideas and advice. It’s available on Amazon and other sites, but I found this copy in my local library.

     Go for it: Writing Down the Bones

                     by Natalie Goldberg

                    1986

Pre-Planning a Book or Short Story:

What Works for You?

     How many times have you heard Are you a planner or a pantser? In other words, when you sit down to write, do you have everything you’re going to say outlined, time-lined, sketched out, and so on. OR, do you just sit down with an idea in mind and let the words flow?

     I’m thinking most writers are a little of both. If I don’t make a timeline first—especially if there’s some history involved—I get myself in a real mess. Before NaNoWriMo went away, I spent a couple of weeks planning what I was going to write so that I could get in my 1  600+ words per day and stay on target for that magic 50K total by the end of the month.

     I’ve even pictured my characters in my mind and gone to a clip-art site to download pictures which most closely resemble them. Later, I’ve used those pictures to make a short promo video, which is fun to do.

     Where I really get into trouble is keeping up with what happens when and who knew what when—ad nauseum. More often than not, I waste a ton of time going back through what I’ve written and making some notes to keep me on track.

     One thing I try to do before getting started, however, is to complete my research. Stopping mid-story to research facts to incorporate is a total time-waster. I have tons of printed research stapled together and floating around which—I vow/swear/promise—I will put together in a three-ring binder sometime. (I read somewhere once that writers would be mortified for their computers to be searched to see what they’d looked up, copied, and saved! I promise I was not planning to poison anyone when I did extensive research on arsenic poisoning for The Legacy of Diamond Springs!)

     As for being a planner or a pantser, my (exalted?) opinion is that is takes a little of both to complete a truly engaging, organized story that flows from beginning to end. I recently completed Homicide Hotel (a campy title I’d like to change for a more sophisticated one if my mind ran along those lines) and had to research how to extract fingerprints from a mummified body.

     The whole point is, even in fiction you need to have your facts straight, because someone somewhere who knows those facts will call your hand in an online review if you get it wrong!

     So plan or pants? You listen to talks at writing conferences or in writing groups which tell you one way or the other is the only way, nod your head politely, and then you do what works for you! You can’t do it any other way. Remember the old axiom: A leopard can’t change its spots. Better still—Shakespeare should’ve known what he was talking about when he wrote: To thine own self be true.

How Much Information Is Too Much?

 The September-October 2025 issue of Writers’ Digest didn’t yield a great deal of information I could use, but I’m sure some other writers found it helpful. However, I’d like to recommend purchasing it or going to the library to read at least two articles, one of which I’ll address in this blog.

    “Collaborating with Your Reader” by Peter Mountford is an article from which new as well as experienced writers can take away helpful information and advice. He speaks of writing as a cinematic experience in which a writer wants to appeal to his readers through the five senses. His advice that engaging the reader with tension requires information. If the writer doesn’t provide it, the reader will come up with his own and perhaps miss the whole premise of the story or article.

    So, moving on to what I took from his article, how much is too much? The favorite pontifical advice from somewhat experience writers to newbies hanging on their words is show don’t tell. Sometimes I think these people have learned nothing about their writing craft except those three lofty words! Fine—they sound good—but what do they mean? Mr. Mountford explains that it is the narrator’s job to tell what’s going on, and I agree completely.

    I want to know what’s going on. I’m not interested in two hundred minor descriptive details of the characters, what they’re wearing, their body language, or their tone of voice. Incorporate what they look like, how they act and speak, and give me a visual to carry through the story.

    Other experienced writers (in their own opinion) caution against long narratives rather than action, and I agree in part with that, too. Cut the narrative down to the bare bones. Work it into the action. It can be done. Maybe that sounds vague, but think about it. If your female protagonist is fleeing her nemesis, give your reader a description—through the forest, a grassy field, in rough terrain—her clothes (hopefully she’s wearing some to describe) in disarray, her hair streaming behind her or catching on branches of trees...you get the idea. That doesn’t take away from the action—it illuminates it.

    The author of the article puts forth other good points, so find the magazine, read what he has to say, and incorporate it into your own writing. But don’t—please don’t—become so enamored of your own writing that you lose your reader with too many words before he’s finished the first chapter! And kindly do not interrupt the building tension or breathtaking action to insert a love scene of the sizzlingly hot and flaming variety because you think the reader must have it. Trust me, it’s totally unnecessary.

    For some of us, it’s a total turn-off. Be advised.

How Many Times Does a Writer Need to Hear This?

    A great article in the July-August 2025 issue of Writer’s Digest (Paula Rizzo) is “Incorporating Self-Care into Your Writing Routine”. It’s not a unique idea, but she made a couple of points I hadn’t thought of, so I’d recommend reading it. Most libraries keep back issues of magazines for a certain period of time, so even though a new issue has come out since I saw this, you can probably find it.

    Meanwhile, the idea of self care for writers is an on-going necessity. People burn out in any profession if they don’t remember there is more to themselves than their work. I’ve burned out temporarily and periodically and gone months without any real writing, but when I finally got back to it, I was re-energized and ready to tackle the task.

    If I were writing the same article, I think I’d include what I’ve learned personally.

(1) All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

     One can sit in front of the computer or with pen and notebook only so long. Whether you’re a planner who knows exactly where the story is going or a pantser who lets the story write itself, you can’t do it 24-7. Fortunately, I have to incorporate a lot of research into my writing, and I enjoy looking for information and learning new things. I also allow myself to take breaks in front of the boob tube—having subscription to Amazon Prime gives me access to all sorts of entertainment, whether a mindless 50’s sitcom or a serious documentary. A trip to Sonic for Happy Hour and a diet vanilla Coke gives me a brief respite for being hunched over the keyboard. And, I even enjoy puttering around my house—I like clean and organized, and that keeps me moving. Remember, you can always think and plan while running the vac or mopping the floor!

(2) Schedules and deadlines aren’t necessarily good things—even when they’re necessary!

    I’m not a professional writer—that is, I don’t earn my living by putting pen to paper. I’m retired, and even though I’ve been multi-published both traditionally and independently, writing is a hobby for me more than anything else. I understand editing deadlines and kept to mine conscientiously, which gave me a good relationship with my editors. But when I’m just writing fluff for independent publishing (when I get around to it!), I can take a long break when I need to. I tend to be sort of gotta get it done, but I got tired of living at break-neck speed. So when I retired, I made a concerted effort to slow down. Even if you write for a living, you can put the brakes on gently and remind yourself it’s for your own good.

(3) Enjoy being creative—don’t dread it.

    Writers are creative souls. Be creative, not driven. Take a deep breath. Maybe you need that paycheck, but with discipline you’ll finish your project and get it done. You don’t have to have a breakdown in the process. Smile and say, “I’m a writer,” and then enjoy the glow.

    If, like me, you write for fun, the big payoff will be when someone says, “Oh, I enjoyed your book!” or “That article you wrote in ______ was really interesting!”

    Go with the flow...and enjoy the glow.

Risen from the Ashes

   Realizing I am weeks overdue for another blog and another chapter of Blest Be the Tie, I offer excuses and other useless trivia. Actually, I was dealing with some health problems (translate pity party as I don’t like being shelved) and serious lack of motivation. That said, I also backed myself into another corner (translate project). That’s a better subject for a blog, so here goes.

   In 1929, before the crash, some investors built a hotel downtown and named it the Rainbow Hotel. They even used colored fluorescent lights high on the structure to advertise! Being new and providing all kinds of amenities such as a dining room, an in-house drugstore, cafe, and barber shop, it was the toast of the town.

   In 1933 after a brief closure for renovations and management changes, it reopened as the Roosevelt Hotel and continued to thrive. But larger, fancier hotels began to populate the town as well as the new phenomenon of motels, and by the 1960s, the advertisements for the hotel were for rooms, as in residential rooms. It went downhill from there.

   Downtown went south, and the once buzzing commercial area became blocks of empty buildings. The Roosevelt became part of the local skid row according to one heartbreaking newspaper article. By 1995, it forcibly closed its doors due to its physical condition which required too much money for repairs. Where the residents went, I don’t know, because $40/week was the lowest of the low-cost housing opportunities except for the street. I find myself thinking of them even now.

   Since then, it has stood on a lonely corner with broken and/or boarded up windows. Like so many other historic and semi-historic structures, the next step seemed to be demolition. But then someone had a vision, bought it, and restored it into lofts for seniors 55+, and breathed new life into a once-proud building fallen into ignominy.

   I attended the open house and was delighted to see that they had salvaged the original terrazzo tile floors through the entrance into the lobby. Their gleam seemed to shout, “We survived! We’re still here for another day!” The original mailboxes in the lobby also are still there, usable once more for current residents.

   Gutting seems a strong word, but I’m sure that’s what had to be done to rebuild twenty-five one and two-bedroom loft apartments. They sparkle! Granite counter tops in the full-size kitchens and large walk-in showers with every safety amenity welcome those who come for the tour. I’m told they expect to be full very soon.

   I asked the young leasing manager if she knew the history of the hotel. When she said she didn’t but would love to have something available in the lobby, I told her I’d take care of it. Using one of my favorite websites, Newspapers.com, I researched the hotel from 1929 to the present, clipped articles, did a cut-and-paste onto sturdy card stock, and slipped the pages into sheet protectors before putting them in a loose leaf notebook. With the cover designed and created, I delivered the finished project into the hands of the young lady who graciously gave me a tour. She was delighted, exclaiming, “Oh, this must go to corporate!” But I hope it will eventually find its way into the lobby where the current residents can look at it and know they are part of history remade!

   It warms my sentimental hometown heart to see the original sign on top of the building refurbished with the added word Lofts. It is indeed a phoenix risen from the ashes to new life!

My Writing Life Today

   I repurposed this blog from way back in 2016—with tweaks!

   It’s always fun to see photos of other writers’ creative places and read about their routines, so I thought I’d share mine today. No, it’s not all me-me-me-- bear with me though the first paragraph if you must. I promise you’ll find the ideas which may/may not be useful to the reader.

   I’m a morning person, so once I’m up and dressed, bed made, any household chores done, and morning prayers/devotions attended to, I’m ready to boot up Penelope the Lappy and start my writing day. I have a system--sort of--which is flexible as circumstances dictate. But first I set the stage so to speak:

• Blinds open

• Aromatherapy on (favorite is peppermint or lavender)

• CD player on--anything from classical to easy listening

• Check daily calendar--do I have to get out today? What have I sworn to get done “in office”

   Nine years later, the routine has changed somewhat, but morning prayer is always at the top of the list. Now, living in my hometown in a wonderful patio home community, I have found my way to the perfect writing place, the Bearded Barista, two or three mornings a week. (See a previous blog about this creative spot for old lady writers!) In the afternoons, especially in hot weather, I come home to my lunch and recliner and write more. Still use the CD player and just turned up the cord for my second aromatherapy device—so now I can have one in the study or living room as well as my bedroom.

   I still keep my emails cleaned out and try to back up documents at least once every two weeks. Here I don’t have the regular power outages I had in the isolated “village” where I lived for 16 years, but it’s still a good idea to have at least two-four copies of everything on various external hard drives and thumb drives.

   These days, my schedule is mine, and I plan a day ahead—always with the caveat that nothing is set in stone. These days, having achieved a modicum of writing success, it’s all strictly for fun. No marketing, no “This has to be finished by…”, no contracts to include editing deadlines. Just find a story idea and get busy having fun with it!

   One of my grown sons is under the impression that “Mom’s retired. She doesn’t have anything to do.” I heard this too often when we lived too close and shook my head thinking, “Mom’s just getting started, buddy!”

   Addendum: It wasn’t easy balancing a fledgling “writing career” with childcare for granddaughters, school pickups, and Mimi School in the summers, but I enjoyed every moment. Now, with a truly empty nest, I can take a deep breath and say, after 80 years, “It’s all for me now” and not feel a single stirring of guilt! I’ve paid my dues, earned my freedom, and it’s all good.

 Nothing Stays the Same

     ...including schedules! A few years ago, I balanced child care for the granddaughters with taking care of my house, personal business, and writing. All that kept me busy because I had no social life in the elitist place I had the misfortune to live, but since I moved home two years (plus) ago, I have no child care—and it’s not easy to work everything else into my now busy busy busy schedule!

     I keep telling myself to prioritize, but when everything is a priority, what is one to do? For example, this week I skipped Monday at Bearded Barista to do my office day and write at home. I also had some piddle-paddling to do around the house. (My adopted mom was always piddle-paddling and got more done than any two people!)

     Tuesday, I had to haul out early for labs, followed by the regular weekly chiropractor appointment mid-morning. Then it was home to write, more piddle-paddling (including some laundry), and then I found myself crossing the street to the recreation center for our monthly craft session. I’m spectacularly non-crafty, but I wouldn’t miss an opportunity to laugh with others in this friendly community!

     The week is officially half over on Wednesdays, and today is Wednesday. I planned to get back to BB for a writing session; instead I’m taking it at home. I have an appointment at three which won’t take too long, so I can fit in more writing time.

     Now tomorrow and Friday, things get interesting! The old Roosevelt Hotel, once a nice place to stay as well as reside before it fell into disrepair, ultimately became a flop house, and inevitably closed, will be hosting an open house tomorrow afternoon, and I will be there! Someone invested big bucks, turned the place into senior lofts, and even used the refurbished original sign. It’s great to see old landmarks come back to life!

     And Friday—ah, Friday is the grand opening of Hippie Hysteria in what I think was the old Woolworth building where I spent an inordinate amount of time (though less money) as a teen. I know, I know, the name conjures up many things...but it has space for forty local vendors and should garner another inordinate amount of my time to browse them all in the coming days. I understand food and drink will be offered eventually. I can see myself making a day of it in the future!

     The empty buildings in what was a once-thriving downtown make me sad. Many are coming back, but bars outweigh businesses, and I’d like to see a better balance. Once parking was at a premium (vertical curbside with meters) and making a block (or two or three until a space opened up) was part of one’s shopping time. Businesses like Hippie Hysteria will give downtown a real boost.

     Writing time needs to figure in, too, hopefully two productive hours tomorrow and Friday at BB, but who knows?

     Next week is looking better for prioritizing, but office day Monday will be half-over by the time I make the yearly optometrist appointment, and then, of course, the afternoon is highlighted by the monthly massage which I consider as important as any medical appointment and maybe more beneficial.

     Writers pen brilliant articles about prioritizing and scheduling and being productive—and taking care of oneself—and I make sincere efforts to implement their suggestions. However...my personal schedule has a life of its own, and I can’t seem to do anything about it!

Around Town

  It’s Friday in my favorite spot downtown—the Bearded Barista, a charming coffee shop with yummy (too yummy) food and drink. I try to get in three days a week for a couple hours of uninterrupted writing in a chill yet in-and-out active environment with comfy armchairs to die for and staff who now knows me by name! (Just broke all the rules for long sentences there, didn’t I?)

  San Angelo, Texas, my hometown to which I finally returned, was an old West Texas country town when I was growing up here in the post-WWII era. Being one of the last of the war babies, I watched it evolve out of its charm into the big city some outsiders wanted it to be. Eventually “they” tore down the lovely old homes, and downtown became a ghost town.

  Now it’s coming back, at least the downtown. There is an historic district with some charming shops, and the other main streets are popping up with restored buildings and businesses. At first, it was mostly bars, but businesses are coming back, too. The big box stores are permanently located along the highway that used to lead to nowhere, and I do visit them occasionally if I absolutely have to. But now I live in a patio home retirement community along the river, just a few blocks from downtown, and I mostly stay within the confines of what I knew and loved best as a child.

  This lovely coffee shop opened within a long-closed department store where I once visited Santa and yearned over the toys at Christmas, so in a way, I’ve come full circle. I’m learning to live with the unpleasant changes while embracing the new stirrings of life in town and concentrating on the old that is left.

  One of the old is along Concho Street, the first street of this once wild and woolly place (we’re talking 1800s) is a hotel built on the sight of at least two previous ones, both of which burned—once accidentally, the second time to cover up a murder.

  The replacement hotel was a thriving place, four stories plus a ground floor of businesses, which finally took its place as a residential hotel as the new hotels and motels popped up, and, of course, closed and fell into disrepair. But it’s still standing, waiting for someone to breathe new life into it.

  In the devastating flood of 1936, the Concho river overflowed its banks to almost reach the second story where my father had an office. He told me some tales, which I’ll relate in another blog—maybe two—and relate the plans I have to restore that old hotel in novel form.

  But for now, I’m just plugging where I spin my tales—the Bearded Barista. There are two in town, a larger one on College Hills Avenue and this newer, smaller one on Twohig between Oakes and Chadbourne Street, just down from the landmark Cactus Hotel. It’s the first real writing spot I’ve ever really had and I cherish it the atmosphere, the cuisine, and most especially, the friendly staff.

  If you live I San Angelo or are just passing through, visit the Bearded Barista—and I vote for the downtown location just for the atmosphere!

AI: To Be or Not to Be

  Years ago I subscribed to three writing magazines because I found them useful as I began writing in earnest. One of them, my favorite, went out of publication. The remaining two suddenly became, at least IMO, “woke”—and I wasn’t learning anything I wanted to know. So I didn’t renew my subscriptions, but every month I went to Books-a-Million and scanned the table of contents for both, purchasing if I thought one or both would be beneficial.

     Now I’m back in my hometown with two wonderful small bookstores, neither of which sell magazines, so every month I spend some time in the library browsing their copy of Writers Digest and taking relevant notes to share in blogs. Even though I share themes and ideas, I still recommend reading the magazine for the full picture.

     Yesterday, the July-August issue was on the shelf, so names of articles and authors will be shared While I don’t take their text, subheadings, etc., I do write about my take-away from the article and expand from there. All of the writers have excellent credentials, and I urge my readers to follow up with the magazine itself.

     Today I’m quoting USA best-selling author Rob Hart in “No, You Can’t Use AI”. He says, “Writiing is not data. Writing is art. When you treat art like data, you devalue it.” He goes on to compare AI to fast food—it’s easy to procure, relatively inexpensive (I’d question that!) and, in some cases, works in at least getting the words on paper—but it’s definitely not fine cuisine! I like his analogy.

     The rest of this blog is my take on AI—which I have so far studiously avoided. I keep getting pop-ups in MS 365 asking if I want “Co-Pilot” to rewrite words, phrases, etc., and I quickly click no. In fact, I’ve taken MS 365 off my main computer and will not renew it for the trusty laptop simply because I don’t want any part of AI. I know some people believe it’s the wave of the future, and I may have to accept it at some point in the future, but for now I prefer to slog through on my own.

     I’ve noticed that when I upload a book to Amazon, I am asked if it contains AI written material—or something like that. It doesn’t, so I can honestly reply in the negative, but I have to wonder what would happen if I said yes!

     As I understand it, AI creates content, but it is not in and of itself creative. Writing is a creative endeavor, and just because AI may make it easier in some respects does not make it better. Minds are made to be changed—in some instances—but right now I’m pretty set in my ways. My writing will continue to be mine and mine alone. 

The First Draft  Always Stinks!

     You can guess, from the title, that I’m talking about revision. “Revision is your friend,” according to Sharon Short in an article called “Level Up Your Writing” in the May-June issue of Writer’s Digest. Truer words were never spoken. (Title is hers; the following thoughts are mine.)

     New writers often pour their hearts and souls into a manuscript, type “The End”, and ship it off to a publisher. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Re-read it, my fellow author. Re-read and cringe.

     Revision is NOT editing or proofreading. It is making a bad story good, then revising again to make a good story better, and yet again and again and again to make that story sparkle. It takes time. It’s hard work. But it has to be done. Otherwise, you just have a bunch of disconnected ideas instead of a plot; a plodding scenario instead of a scintillating story; in short, a dud.

     So, how do you revise? Some people just go back through the computer document. Others print it out, put it into a three-ring binder, and hole up in a coffee shop with a vicious red pen. Of the two, I think the latter is best for me. Then comes transferring the revisions back to the computer document—and you’ll make even more changes as you go.

     But are you finished? You shouldn’t be. You should be re-reading the revisions and shaking your head while muttering, “What was I thinking?”

     For me, writing is a hobby these days—but I’m still not putting anything out there until it’s as near- perfect as I can get. Writing as a hobby or as a profession “ain’t” easy—and if you take the easy way out, you’ll regret it.

Been There Done That

     Amy Jones, editor of Writer’s Digest, suggested more writing prompts in her article “A Questionable Choice”. (Her prompts are in italics; the comments are mine.)

    (1)A tough conversation: Today we’re always hearing about “tough conversations” with aging parents (of which I’m one) about where to live safely, when to stop driving, ad nauseum. And yes, I had to have those conversations with my parents. In literature, we hear the same conversations over and over—a “Dear John” letter or talk in which one characters bids goodbye forever to another. Writers are always looking for unique ways in which to present same! A good imagination can come up with dozens of other conversations we wish we didn’t have to have in real life—but we don’t mind reading about them

(2)You go into the library. Which section do you visit first? I have to laugh when I remember the wonderful library in which I practically grew up. There were two sections: children and adult—and in the middle stood the checkout desk behind which reigned a stern librarian. She knew you—and woe be unto you if, as an under-twelve, you went to the left instead of the right! We need more like her to keep children away from unsuitable material until they’re old enough to handle it—or, hopefully, reject it all together!

(3)What is your worst fear—and how do you respond to it? I grew up afraid of everything. Now, in the last chapter of my life, I am only afraid of regressing to that point again. I’ve lived life, and nothing life can throw at me now will ever let me be fearful again. And again, this prompt has millions of possibilities!

(4) What is your favorite meal—who makes it—and where? I’m back in my grandmother’s kitchen while she rolls out dough, slathers it with butter, sprinkles cinnamon and sugar with a generous hand, and fries it up in her big cast iron skillet! And I’m there watching her roll out dumplings and drop them in the pot where a fat hen simmers in its broth. Fast forward, and I’m watching my mother-in-law line her cake pans with brown paper and bring all the ingredients to room temperature before she begins baking. Again, everyone could write a different piece with this prompt.

(5)Finally, there is something called character description. Will it be your favorite? Your most hated? The one you’d like to emulate? Who and why? I had fun blogging on this the other day!

     We read writing prompts and think, “Been there done that.” But—have we really? Give one of these tried and true prompts a new twist and watch it spring to life.

Who Is Your Favorite Character (with a Twist)?

     Sounds like an overworked prompt, huh? I wouldn’t choose it from a list of same, but an article in the March-April issue of Writer’s Digest, “A Questionable Choice” by editor Amy Jones, caught my interest.

     How about, “Who is your favorite character, not necessarily likable, but they stay with you?” Get any wheels turning?

     I love characters who are believable, real people who think and act the way people do, whether they lived in the fifteenth or the twenty-first century. The character who has stuck with me over the years is Scarlet O’Hara from Gone with the Wind.

Ever since I discovered an old hardback of the book inscribed to my mother by her older brother in 1939, Scarlet has haunted me. As far as I’m concerned, she’s a thoroughly despicable character who lives on today not just in the pages of a book but in the souls of others whom we meet along the way.

     She is selfish, self-centered, determined to have her own way no matter who it hurts, and someone who took the entire Civil War as a personal affront. Don’t we know people like that? Especially the people who take issue with almost anything going on these days and join “protests” aka “riots” and take what they can get.

     On the other hand, Scarlet was a survivor. She picked herself up by her bootstraps after the war and the destructive era known as Reconstruction and went on. She didn’t really go on with her life to benefit anyone except herself, but she didn’t cower in the corner sucking her thumb either.

     I didn’t like Scarlet then, and I don’t like her now, but it just goes to show: There’s nothing new (and no one new) under the sun. The kinds of people who lived hundreds of years ago still live among us today. Personally, I steer clear of them!

      I'm throwing open the forum if anyone would like to write a blog about why they LIKED Scarlet. All opinions welcome! Simply leave your IMO in the comments section or email it to me, judynickles@gmail.com, and I'll put it up. (Make nice with the language, if you please! I'm old, and my ears are sensitive.)

The Forensic Genealogy Series

     All my good intentions to “blog regularly” usually go by the wayside, but I’ve sketched out five which should take me though next week (posting 2X/week). I want to post us useful information related to writing/reading. This is NOT a “buy-my-book blog/website”!

     Recently, I stumbled on a new series called The Forensic Genealogy Series: Hiding the Past, by Nathan Dylan Goodwin. He is a writer, genealogist, and educator, but he writes the character of Morton Forner, a forensic genealogist.

     Being interested in both forensics as a voyeur as it were and in genealogy as someone who began researching long before all the information (misinformation!) on the internet, the subject matter and titles caught my eye.

     The first in the series is a short prequel, The Asylum, a 115-page read. The others are listed in order:

The Wicked Trade

The Suffragette’s Secret

The Deserter’s Tale

The Lost Ancestor

The Foundling

The America Ground

The Spyglass File

The Sterling Affair

The Orange Lilies

The Missing Man

     Unfortunately, my local library doesn’t have these books, but they are available on Amazon. I’d recommend following the link to read the tag lines and more to gauge your interest in the series. I know I plan to!