3 Personal Writing Triumphs

Loki enjoying a bully stick in his gigantic new bed.

1) I’ve written a guest blogpost for Hatch*, a new blog about religion, big questions, and the like. My post is personal and ranty; it’s very Millennial of me.

2) Reddit, known for harsh judgments and countless photos of adorable cats, has my first book’s first chapter in its capable, collective hands. Someone posted one critique already; I’m so grateful for the compliment sandwich, and the critical stuff in-between was more helpful than harsh. Bring it on! [Insert metallurgy metaphor here.]

3) Last week, I began a 500 words per week goal for my new adventures in fiction writing–and I exceeded it by a whopping 99 words! It’s such a minor mission, but if I can stick to it, I will have proven to myself that I can increase the difficulty level from Super Easy to Very Easy. Any easy is hard until I make a habit of it.

Three Good Things

Three good books, too. From the Plumb Memorial Library.

With the windy rain, it’s a little apocalypsey outside this morning. Otherwise, things are good. Here’re three of them:

• I’ve got a paid (trial) blogging gig, covering news about space.
• The library director liked the art group idea! Free workspace and camaraderie? YES. Just need final approval from the board and it’s on.
• Those three books above? Only half of the pile now on our coffee table awaiting consumption. Enjoying Bossypants right now. Might move onto Space Chronicles next to get in a starry mood.

Happy new calendar, world. Back to ebook work, me.

The Value of a Good Scanner

Waiting for Rebirth – a quick little watercolor on paper, 2012.

I updated my art blog with a few new pieces and much better images of some older paintings–at least those that could fit in my scanner. From this day forward, I vow: no more fuzzy photos taken in poorly-lit rooms! Color and clarity are much too important, and taking the time to scan or photograph art properly is worth the effort. (Well, I’ll chant this to myself if I get lazy about it again.)

Here’s a painting I did this summer of a covered bridge at Southford Falls. Much nicer than the old pictures of it, if I do say so myself.