Barbara Fradkin's Blog, page 29

Let Us Talk About Dreams

 I  (Donis) would like to talk about dreams today, Dear Reader.A while back I was getting ready to conduct a journaling and memoir workshop. I pulled out some of my own old journals and went through them in hopes of finding a couple of creative examples of entries I could share with the class. Here is what I discovered: It’s horrifying to go back in time and see what was on my mind

Working Environments

 by Sybil JohnsonI’ve been hearing a lot lately about how companies are having a hard time getting workers to go back to the office post-pandemic. People seem to have settled in working from home and be reluctant to commute. I suspect some of that reluctance comes from the environment they would be returning to.I think there’s a lot of value in being in an office environment. It’s easier to

Looking at Things in New Ways

By Thomas KiesOn Valentine’s Day, my first cataract surgery tookplace.  Romantic, huh?It was my left eye and before the surgery, it hadgotten so that I could barely see out of it. My vision faded so slowly, so subtly, that I didn’t notice it until itgot really bad.  Once that surgery took place, one eye was stillnearsighted, as it had been since I was five years old, and

Hurry up and wait

 I had intended this post to be the revelation of my new book title, the twelfth Inspector Green mystery, featuring the disgruntled, exiled Green toiling away in the "Siberia" of police assignments and even contemplated retirement. Like THE DEVIL TO PAY, the previous  book, it also features his daughter Hannah, now a young patrol officer, and her boyfriend Josh, a newly minted homicide

Keeping Track

 By Charlotte HingerBoy, do I ever wish I had started keeping track of everything connected with writing from the beginning. Some years back when I needed to assemble a Curriculum Vitae (CV) for a writing class I would be teaching it was the pits to put together. A CV is more detailed than a resume. A CV should contain everything: publications, awards received, talks and presentations,

Back in the Learner's Seat

I've been at this writing game for awhile. My debut novel was published in 2006. Since then I've had several more novels and numerous short stories come out, plus I've done time as a creative writing instructor. However, after the pandemic, I felt unplugged from the writing community and to boost my connections, I recently attended Superstars 2024, about which I wrote some in last month's post.

Tempus Fugit

 Time passes so quickly that it alarms me sometimes. How did I get anything done at all in my real life when I worked for other people? The truth is that I didn't, or at least I was only able to do whatever was absolutely necessary to live.Now my work is writing, and work at it I do, and yet it still feels to me that I'm always short of time. Days bleed into one another, and weeks, and

Becoming A Hybrid Author, Part II

 by Sybil JohnsonToday I’m continuing my thoughts on becoming a hybrid author and what I learned along the way. If you didn’t see Part I, you can find it here.  Sorry this post is so long. I tried to break it up into topics so it’s easier to read. I’m not fond of long blog posts myself.  Get font licenses where needed.I admit I didn’t think too much about needing

We Won

 by Charlotte HingerMy heart is still in Kansas even though my body is in Colorado. I watched the extremely satisfying Super Bowl game with my daughter, Michele, and son-in-law, Harry Crockett. A visitor to their home once asked if the large photo in the background was that of my late husband (Michele's father). I said "no, it's the Crockett's patron saint--Hank Williams."It was fun to

Bad Reviews

 Donis here, Dear Readers. Today I'm posting a "Tip of The Week" from wildly prolific writer and my friend, Dan Baldwin, Dan is the author of westerns, mysteries, thrillers, short story collections and books on the paranormal. He is the winner of numerous local, regional, and national awards for writing and directing film and video projects, and if anybody knows what he's talking about,