Eva Pasco's Blog, page 3

Eva’s Byte #521 – Getting to the Point

That would be Sabin Point, my stomping ground to forage for sea glass.

With the weather springing forward, and a neap tide, where the ocean level has a smaller than average range during the first and third-quarter phases of the moon—a foraging I will go!

As Sabin Point is part of a shipping channel used by vessels sailing to and from the Port of Providence, just 1,000 feet away from the Point, it’s a lucrative site for coming across pieces of broken glass that have washed ashore.

Tumbled smooth along their seafaring journey, the pieces I retrieved have been added to my growing collection of cherished treasures filling clear glass vases.

That day, along the narrow shoreline, the “point” itself offered wide berth for spelunking. There was hardly a breeze stirring. The ocean resembled a calm lake. The perfect launch for foraging season!

In the capacity of a writer, I’m getting to the point journeying along the draft of chapter 14 (676 words thus far) in my Contemporary work in progress.

*May each of us get to the point in life where we want to be.

My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.

Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco

Eva’s Byte #520 – Making Inroads

As I make inroads drafting my Contemporary work in progress, I continue to slog the extra mile for bringing its local setting of Warren, Rhode Island to life. Besides integrating landmarks, culture, and geographical aspects, it’s important for me to “go the distance” with precision; i.e., walking a mile in my protagonist’s shoes.

Plotwise, this recently entailed finding out the number of miles between Warren and Millville, Massachusetts; Warren and Providence; Providence and Millville. I also looked up bus fares and cab fares during the Seventies.

“She’s got a ticket to ride.”

In the capacity of a writer, I finished drafting chapter 13 at 927 words. I’m making inroads along the draft of chapter 14 (114 words thus far), getting my protagonist road ready for what lies ahead along her journey.

*May each of us go the extra mile for making inroads along our creative journeys.

My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.

Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco

Eva’s Byte #519 – Toughening It Out

“When the going gets tough, the tough get going.”

(Quote attributed both to Joseph P. Kennedy, father of President John F. Kennedy, and football player/coach Knute Rockne)

As it remains to be seen just how tough things are going to get on the world stage, I’m toughening it out by embracing life’s simple pleasures within the sanctity of my own home, or close by.

Listening to ambient music while at the keyboard imbues a sense of calm.

Reading spirits me away to another realm.

As the weather becomes more user-friendly, I’ll resume foraging for sea glass at a nearby beach, enjoying the cacophony of seagulls squawking overhead.

In the capacity of a writer, I’m toughening out drafting my Contemporary work in progress. Chapter 12 is complete at 1404 words. Chapter 13 has progressed to 283 words thus far.

*As the going gets tough, may each of us implement our own coping mechanisms to foster peace of mind.

My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.

Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco

Eva’s Byte #518 – Gone the Way Of

In our current period of human history often referred to as the Information Age, so many things this Baby Boomer grew up with in the Sixties have gone the way of the dinosaurs.

To cite a few:

Easter outfits comprised of bonnets, white gloves, and black patent leather Mary Janes.

Typewriters, Wite-Out, and carbon paper.

Rotary dial phones, telephone booths, the White Pages, and Yellow Pages.

Digital technology has rendered cursive writing an endangered motor skill.

All of the aforementioned and more have potential for a comeback in fiction. For one, the wall-mounted, rotary dial phone made an appearance in my Contemporary, ‘Aileen’s Guesthouse,’ set in the Seventies.

Also taking place in the Groovy Decade, my current Contemporary in progress. At this point in time, I’ve tweaked the draft of chapter 11 to 1602 words. I’m currently drafting chapter 12 (987 words thus far).

*May each of us move forward while effectively bridging the past and present.

My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.

Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco

Eva’s Byte #517 – The Spin I’m In

There’s the Spinners, an R&B vocal group out of Detroit who had a string of hit singles and albums during the Sixties and Seventies. One of my faves, “I’ll Be Around”.

Then, there’s the salad spinner, a kitchen gadget used to remove excess water from washed salad greens by spinning the leaves in a perforated basket.

That’s what I’m talkin’ about!

Come Spring, my fancy turns to thoughts of preparing dinner salads for my evening meal. For starters, I’ll rely on my salad spinner for washing and drying lettuce leaves.

It’s a given, my salad days require frequent supermarket trips to stock up on fresh produce. At the bare minimum, my ingredients include: dark green lettuce, tomato, cucumber, red onion, bell pepper, cheese, and a hard-boiled egg.

In this writer’s capacity of spinning a story in the genre of Contemporary, I’ve finished drafting chapter 11 (1573 words). I’m composing chapter 12 (357 words thus far).

*May each of us spin ourselves in the right direction for making healthy choices and wise decisions.

My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.

Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco

Eva’s Byte #516 – My Writer’s Mind

If you could read my mind,

What a tale my thoughts could tell. (modified lyrics to “If You Could Read My Mind,” a song by Gordon Lightfoot, 1970)

In the capacity of a writer, my thoughts tell tales for fiction enthusiasts to read what my mind has conjured.

To facilitate my “pantser” approach to writing, I bear two things in mind:

1. I write the story I’d want to read.

2. I reread the current chapter I’m drafting before each writing session. By the time I’m finished, it’s shipshape prior to my book’s final edits.

At this point in time, I just finished drafting chapter 11 (1559 words) along my Contemporary work in progress. I’m at the shallow end of chapter 12.

*May each of us stick with what works for unleashing the thoughts our mind comes up with.

My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.

Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco

Eva’s Byte #515 – An Extraordinary Woman

Dovetailing International Women’s Day on March 8th, celebrating women’s rights, equality, and empowerment, I’m singing the praises of my mother.

Her shining example laid the foundation for my own independent streak, empowering me to fend for myself. She planted the seeds for me to harness my imagination in writing stories, and fostered my belief in their merit. She would have been proud and “not surprised,” her words—that my latest publication, Aileen’s Guesthouse received the Reader Views Reader Choice Award: General Fiction Finalist.

Also, no surprise, I will devote the Dedication page in my next publication to this extraordinary woman, posthumously.

At this point in time, I’m powering through the draft of chapter 11 (1106 words thus far) along my Contemporary work in progress.

*May each of us be inspired to forsake our comfort zone and excel.

My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.

Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco

Eva’s Byte #514 – Psychological Spring

Purportedly, astronomers state our spring season starts on March 20th in all time zones of North America. To be exact, 5:01 a.m. Eastern Daylight Savings Time.

Even though winter weather persists—for instance, on Sunday, March 2nd, the temperature was a blustery 29 degrees—I’ve embarked on Psychological Spring:

I’m steamrolling through spring cleaning.

My leprechaun gnomes are on display in full force.

This week, my vehicle had its spring tune-up. When I drove away from the dealership, the clock had sprung one hour ahead in psychological preparedness for advancing time on March 9th.

In the capacity of a writer, I’m psychologically springing ahead with drafting chapter 11 (449 words thus far) along my Contemporary work in progress.

*May each of us spring forward with a psychological edge.

My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.

Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco

Eva’s Byte #513 – Roads Not Yet Taken

In the capacity of a writer, I equate the keyboarding process during each storytelling session with embarking on roads not yet taken. Excavating and blazing trails with words pave the way along an open-ended journey navigated by my characters who may or may not have the best intentions.

Preferring the wide latitude of Contemporary Fiction, my lit with grit takes me along unpredictable turns and inside dark tunnels as I forge ahead. There’s no turning back for the writer undertaking a solo journey in untrammeled territory.

At this point in time, I finished drafting chapter 10 (1320 words) along my work in progress.

*May each of us advance our creativity along roads not yet taken.

My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.

Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco

Eva’s Byte #512 – Letting Go

Since Old Faithful, my previous computer, would not meet the minimum hardware requirements to run Windows 11 smoothly, this Mama acquired “a brand-new bag”.

Thanks to my tech-savvy computer guru, the 16 GB Hewlett Packard desktop model is up and running like a thoroughbred racehorse.

A brand-new bag also begets letting go of excess baggage. In accordance, I deleted over 800 previously read eBooks from my Kindle catalog.

Why stop there?

I deleted two social media accounts. I’m basically down to Facebook, Goodreads, and Authors Den.

In the capacity of a writer, I’m drafting chapter 10 (739 words thus far) along my Contemporary work in progress.

*May each of us embrace letting go of excess baggage which no longer serves our purpose.

My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.

Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco