Janet Morrison's Blog, page 34

You CAN teach an old dog new tricks!

In my recent struggle about what I was supposed to be doing or writing, I sought God’s guidance. One night I dreamed that I was going through a life’s accumulation of stuff and discarding or setting aside items to either donate or recycle. Most items were being discarded. When I woke up, I had clarity and felt like God was telling me to get rid of the clutter in my life. Sometimes you need to get rid of the old to make room for the new.

Remembering 9/11 Twenty Years Later

Two days ago, we marked the 20th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 major terrorist attacks on the United States. It was on September 11, 2001 that we Americans lost our innocence. It was the day we learned that the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans could not protect us. We learned that we were naïve and … Continue reading Remembering 9/11 Twenty Years Later →

Books Read in August 2021 (a.k.a. What to Do When You Can’t Afford Writing Courses)

I could be the poster child for how hard it is to learn the art and craft of fiction writing. It requires not only reading good fiction to see how certain things are done well but also lots of study and practice. My first blog every month is traditionally about some of the books I … Continue reading Books Read in August 2021 (a.k.a. What to Do When You Can’t Afford Writing Courses) →

Things I Learned from How the Word is Passed – Part III

This blog series about How the Word is Passed has created some good discussion. Every comment is appreciated. I hope you’ve gained some new insight into how we present our history in the United States. The book has reminded me that things aren’t always as them seem. Anything we read – even in history books – should prompt us to look deeper into the sources of information.

Things I Learned from How the Word is Passed – Part II

Last week’s blog post, Things I Learned from How the Word is Passed – Part I  covered some of the things I learned about Monticello Plantation and the Whitney Plantation from How the Word is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America, by Clint Smith. Today I share with you some of the … Continue reading Things I Learned from How the Word is Passed – Part II →

Things I Learned from How the Word is Passed – Part I

My skill doesn’t lie in reviewing books. Most of the books I read, however, do make me think. Many of them prompt me to question the way I’ve seen the world all my life. To my mind, that’s a sign of a great book. I promised myself to lighten up on my reading in July. … Continue reading Things I Learned from How the Word is Passed – Part I →

2 Environment- and History-Related Books

At first, I didn’t see any connection between Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest and Blood and Treasure: Daniel Boone and the Fight for America’s First Frontier. Aside from both being nonfiction books, having extraordinarily long titles, and having sub-titles, what could they possibly have in common? The answer is the … Continue reading 2 Environment- and History-Related Books →

2 Books about Racial Injustice

There was a common theme in two books I read in July. They weren’t books I read for pleasure. They were books I read because I knew I should read them. I needed to open my eyes. I needed to remove those rose-colored glasses through which one sees old southern plantations like “Tara” of Gone … Continue reading 2 Books about Racial Injustice →

How My First 50 Pages Stood up for Critique

Those of you who have been reading my blog for years know that (for years) I’ve promised to get my historical novel finished, critiqued by a professional, and published. You also know that I failed to take that second step until this year. Since this is called “Janet’s Writing Blog” and is supposed to be … Continue reading How My First 50 Pages Stood up for Critique →

Taking Stock of Historical Fiction

I changed my topic for today’s blog post several times. In fact, I had it pretty much written and ready to go last Monday. Everything changed on Tuesday morning, when I checked for comments on my blog. Last Tuesday, one of my blog readers who is Jewish left a heartfelt comment about what I had … Continue reading Taking Stock of Historical Fiction →