Joyce Magnin's Blog, page 14

Block Party!

Here's the thing, we had a block party Saturday in my neighborhood. Interesting phenomenon the Block Party. For those of you who don't know this concept, a block party is an event in which a street is barricaded from traffic and people take over. It's like the animals at the zoo being set free to roam and party. Every child on the street comes out to play. I counted forty-five children—twelve from one family, nah, just kidding, Doreen only has five. But still. Barbecues are lined up along th...

In Pursuit of the Dreaded Synopsis

Here's the thing, writing a synopsis is like pulling you eye teeth out through your ears. Flannery O'Connor said that if you can condense your novel into such few words, then why write the whole thing. Although I tend to agree with this (perhaps it's because I hate writing them) I do understand the need. So, that's where I'm at right now with a certain project. It's easier to do after the whole novel has been written but when you still have 90,000 words to go it get's a little weird. But alas...

Love Finds You in Messy Drawers (not that kind)

Here's the thing, everyone knows that I am not exactly the queen of organization. So be it. There is a two-foot high pile on my desk that at this moment is teetering and will probably fall to the floor if I don't remedy the situation. I will, I promise. But first I wanted to relate a little story. It's a true story about my sorry lack of organizational skills. This happened a few years ago. My daughter, Rebekah was maybe five years old. I passed her room one afternoon and peeked inside. She ...

To Jump or Not to Jump

Here's the thing, plunging into unknown depths is scary, very scary. But I suppose we've all had to do it at one time or other. Heck, remember taking your first steps? I don't either, but still, there came a time in your little toddler brain when you connected some dots and realized it was possible to walk on two feet. So off you went. I remember watching my children do this. They usually started by pulling themselves up on something, a coffee table, a wall and then got up nerve and pushed of...

Summer Time and the Living is Easy--Yeah, right

Here's the thing, yesterday I ended the school year and said good-bye to my fifth graders who are moving up to middle school. I really will miss them. Alison, the reader. She always had a book, sometimes reading two and three at a time. Paige--so sweet, so smart. She will go far. Mike-the prankster. He made me laugh when I knew I shouldn't and Marcus the talented athlete. Good luck guys. You'll do great. Come back and check in with me sometime. And also yesterday I watched my own fifth grader...

Take Me to Your Leader

Here's the thing. I upgraded my phone a couple of weeks ago. I went from a Blackberry to a Droid—for free, totally free, no money. What a hoot. A Droid. I actually own something called a Droid. It's so . . . space-age. I mean I really thought, when I was ten, that by the year 2010 we'd all be driving hover-craft and moving sidewalks would have taken the place of cement. We're not there yet, but I must say, I love my Droid. It has so many cool features and apps that I could spend all day looki...

Narrative Destiny

Here's the thing, today I am officially hanging out the old shingle. After years of writing, teaching, reading and studying I have decided to share what I know about writing with aspiring authors. I have started a little thing I like to call Narrative Destiny. If you want to be a novelist but keep getting turned down or if you simply don't know what to do next or even if you can't quite put your finger on the issues, then Narrative Destiny could hold the answers.

You can check out the detail...

Here's the thing:

Sparrows are nesting in my window air conditioner. They are very cool birds.

Anadiplosis is not a Skin Disease

Here's the thing, the other day I was rifling through a closet looking for something—I never found what I was looking for but I excavated a list of literary devices I had made a long time ago for a workshop I was teaching. It was fascinating to read because it included some really interesting devices like Anadiplosis which sounds like a skin disease but really is the repetition of the last word of one phrase, clause, or sentence at or very near the beginning of the next such as, "In the begin...

My New Website and other stuff

Here's the thing, it's been in the works a long time but I just didn't have the time to get a round to it. But today I am happy to announce the birth of joycemagnin.com. I would love it if you all would go and take a look, let me know what you think and if you would like me to include anything. Be sure to take the virtual tour of Bright's Pond. I will be making a tour of the Paradise Trailer Park soon.I had fun building the site. I love my Macbook Pro. I think a person can do pretty much anyt...