I printed my book for the first time today. I’d printed sections of it for editing, but never the entire thing until today. I used a discount card for small businesses and had the manuscript printed and hole-punched for under $9 at Office Depot. I’m pretty sure I’d have run …
I chose a five-night solo camping trip for a chance to write as much as possible and to reflect on the past year. 2016 was full of drastic ups and downs, as most years in life are, but the most recent rollercoaster always feels the craziest. My camping trip didn’t go …
My camper office flooded. We’re in the midst of major thunderstorms on the heels of a terrible drought. I made it to my office around 5 p.m. between storms, stepped up into the camper, and felt the doormat squish under my feet. Not good. We’re not entirely sure what happened, …
I officially opened my new office today! Literally. It’s a pop-up camper in my driveway. I unfolded it myself and set up a workspace with an aluminum camp table. I can’t see how this could be anything but a win-win situation. No more fighting holiday traffic, no more interruptions, no …
The campus library is closed until the new year, and it’s cramping my writing game. It’s cold here, 48 by my weather app, so I can’t work outside like I prefer. It seems like half the city is crammed inside the downtown library with me, and the crowd is really …
I saw a bluebird so bright he looked like he’d been painted with a highlighter. Pelicans circled overhead and a heron fished beneath the footbridge. It was hot for December, 75 degrees, but still the sort of gorgeous day that makes me glad I live in the deep south. The …
I’m at my favorite office again— a picnic table near the bayou. It’s cold today, in Florida terms, and the wind is cutting across my bare legs and reminding me I might have to get my pants down from the top of my closet. I’ve added 2,422 words to my …
Budget version of a writer’s retreat! I’m housesitting for my parents this weekend and am getting lots of work done in the relative quiet of their home. Abbie, my terrier mix, and Bentley, my parents’ sort-of-schnoodle, are my companions. If not for their snoring and late-night whole-body compulsive licking, they’d …
I’m working at my park office today, which means I rode my bike ten minutes to a waterfront picnic table and set up my laptop facing the bayou so I could have some decent scenery while I write. The weather is finally nice here, and I can sit outdoors …
One of my favorite indoor places in the world is a good library. Not just any library, but a quiet one, preferably with lots of windows. I often go to the library on the main campus of the college where I teach. The one on my campus is loud and …
