Beth Camp's Blog, page 3

September Reflections

The last few months have been challenging . . . but September brings the beginning of  a riot of colors, summer heat finally cools, and we're looking forward to my favorite holiday of the year -- Thanksgiving, with much to be thankful for.Writing. I'm closer and closer to drafting the final scenes of Unleashed Pursuit. That story about a female police officer on the run who's befriended by a

IWSG September: Rules or no rules?

September. These days are still warm but the leaves are beginning to change to yellow and orange, and we know that fall will lead to winter -- a perfect time for reading and writing.This first Wednesday of the month invites writers of all kinds to share their thoughts as part of IWSG, the Insecure Writers Support Group, an online community of writers in every genre. We post in response to this

IWSG August: Do I really need AI?

 How can it already be August? Despite these scorching days, a hint of fall beckons from leaves tinted with brown. Snow is coming. The turn of the seasons. We just have to survive another hot summer. Right?Well, that's the challenge. Except life has more plot twists than my favorite novel. The last four weeks have been a tumultuous experience as Allen was struck with severe sciatica, nerve

IWSG July: Favorite Writing Software????

I first started writing seriously with an old 1930's portable typewriter, Smith Corona. It was the 70s, and I lugged that typewriter across the border to Mexico to meet up with my then boyfriend. We were both writers and have had an idyllic relationship that's lasted 50 years. In those pre-computer days, I typed fast, often getting those keys stuck. That doesn't happen anymore. Here's a picture

Bad Guys, Bad Guys . . . What you gonna do?

Today's simmering into 87F. Thank goodness, it's movie day, where the air conditioning is cranked up really high, and I'll smell that buttery popcorn while sitting in the dark, watching a movie. Tuesday is our excuse to go out, dinner and a movie, though the choices in movies isn't that great this summer:  Bikeriders? Thelma? Ghost Light? Well, that last one is a takeoff on Romeo and Juliet,

IWSG June: . . . "I'm late, I'm late . . . "

 Like Alice down the rabbit hole, I'm late. It's Saturday night. My post for the Insecure Writers' Support Group's June question was suppposed to be ready to read on the first Wednesday of the month. Ouch. The truth is that real life distracted me from my writing life.So, in an effort to catch up, here's my response to this month's question (see more about IWSG below).IWSG June 5 Question:

A Memory of New Orleans and Katrina . . .

These days marked by concern over global warming, brought me to thoughts of Katrina, that Category 5 storm that devastated New Orleans and its surrounding burroughs back in August of 2005. Nearly 2,000 people died. The economic effects were measured with losses of about 130 billion dollars.Three years after Katrina, we went to the Gulf. Our buddywas still living in a FEMA trailer and shuffling

IWSG: May . . . Distractions!

Insecure Writer’s Support Group Day and Writing DistractionsIt’s time for another group posting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group! Time to release our fears to the world – or offer encouragement to those who are feeling neurotic. If you’d like to join us, click on the tab above and sign up. We post the first Wednesday of every month. Let's visit at least a dozen new blogs and leave a comment

IWSG: April . . . Writing and Blogging????

 Wish I had something exciting to share. It's been a relatively quiet day, but I didn't begin writing first thing this morning. Maybe it was the clouds instead of sunshine. Maybe it was completing those online tax forms for a few hours, but, you know, a little perseverance, and we CAN meet our daily goals.Here's a picture of one block from my 'Wonky Flower' quilt, currently in progress.

A few trip memories and . . . First Lines

Home now after 6 days on the road, driving back from Tucson. Not so easy to settle back into those familiar routines after being away for 6 weeks. I can close my eyes and see palm trees, cactus, and desert mountains, their layers outlined in red and orange and brown. Imagine walking along a winding trail in Kolob Canyon to see petroglyphs from long ago, estimated to be about 1,000 years old and