I’m briefly dropping in from my hiatus to announce that I’ve decided I will participate in the April A to Z Challenge this year to tell you all about my trip to Egypt!
(Did you decipher the clues at the end of this post?)
I haven’t decided whether I would do every letter in the alphabet, as I really am trying to cut down on posting every day so that I can make time for other personal goals, but I promise you’ll feel like you were there when it’s all said and done.
It’s Insecure Writer’s Support Group day! For those who don’t know, IWSG day is a time when we writers gather together on the first Wednesday of the month to share our goals, our insecurities, our successes, and our fears and offer a word of encouragement to others who may be struggling.
Participants can answer the question of the month or be inspired to post anything related to writing insecurities and triumphs.
March 1 question – Have you ever read a line in a novel or a clever plot twist that caused you to have author envy?
They shoot the white girl first.
This is the opening line in Toni Morrison’s novel Paradise. It captures you immediately and leaves you asking a ton of questions:
Who is the “white girl”?
Who is “they”?
What provoked this attack?
You have to keep reading to find out. And that’s the whole point, right? That’s one of the first things they teach you in fiction writing class: Hook the reader. Give them a reason to want to continue reading to paragraph two, page two, chapter two.
Another rule they teach you is to start in medias res, or in the middle of the action, preferably after the inciting incident that kickstarts the plot has already occurred. You can always backtrack and fill in the details gradually as the story progresses, which is what Morrison does in this slow-burn novel. It feels almost cruel—getting emotionally invested in these characters’ stories, knowing that a massacre is brewing. But if you’ve ever read Toni Morrison, you’re probably used to it. She knows how to pinch your heart with her storytelling and the often triggering themes she uses in her novels.
“Cocksucker motherfucker” was my favorite expression and at eight years old, I used it defiantly.
When I heard this was the first line in Viola Davis’ memoir, Finding Me, I knew I had to read it. Because, first of all (and this is probably my sheltered upbringing showing), where on earth did an eight-year-old learn those words and why is she saying them?? I haven’t read the book yet, but I plan to—it’s on my “To read” list.
Good Sunday morning and welcome to my front porch for Sunday Morning Tea!
For the uninitiated, Sunday Morning Tea is my virtual writing salon, where we talk about our writing goals and projects while sipping on a hot cuppa tea!
Today, I’m having chai because a half-gallon of milk was “buy one get one free,” and as high as groceries are, I’m never passing up on the opportunity to get free food. Unfortunately, that means I now have a whole gallon of milk in my refrigerator, and I’m not a big milk drinker, so in hindsight, was it wise? Eh, looks like my diet for the next two weeks will consist of smoothies, oatmeal, and chai. That’s not the worst diet in the world.
Good Sunday morning and welcome to my front porch for Sunday Morning Tea!
For the uninitiated, Sunday Morning Tea is my virtual writing salon, where we talk about our writing goals and projects while sipping on a hot cuppa tea!
Today I’m drinking Harney & Sons Victorian London Fog, because the rainy weather is feeling very London grey, and contemplating the meaning of life, because, well… It’s been that kind of a week.
Welcome, dear followers, to Bloganuary Day 10! We are into week 2 of the month-long challenge, and I can happily say that I’ve been able to keep up with all the posts so far! My determination to establish a morning writing routine is coming through!
…even if the posts sometimes don’t go live until after dinner…
Has a book changed your life?
Initially, I thought I would respond to today’s prompt by talking about how my love for reading books inspired me to be a writer…
But then something inside me said, “You talk about yourself and writing too much. We’re bored, darling. Switch it up. Talk about love!”
I’m going to tell you a story. And it’s going to sound fantastical to you, something out of a storybook. But it’s the truth. I promise you it’s the God’s honest truth. And when I’m finished telling you this story, you may do one of three things. You may disregard me as completely insane. You may say I have the world’s largest imagination and I was only dreaming. Or you may choose to believe me. Whatever happens after I finish telling you this story, it will be up to you how it concludes…
Welcome to Bloganuary Day 8 and the first Sunday Morning Tea post of the new year (although it is now Sunday afternoon and I am currently drinking coffee…)
For the uninitiated, Sunday Morning Tea is my virtual writing salon, where we talk about our writing goals and projects while sipping on a hot cuppa tea…or coffee!
I don’t know why I find this question difficult to answer. Maybe it’s because I’ve already answered it in so many ways on this blog. See for yourself in this post or any of my Insecure Writer’s Support Group posts or just yesterday’s Bloganuary post, “What brings you joy in life?”
In fact, simply scroll down the posts under the Musings tab, and you’re sure to find the answer.
So then what can I say today that I haven’t said a million times before?
Nortina's Writing Inspiration Well 