Penny J. Johnson's Blog, page 25
February 21, 2020
Home: Where My Heart Is When We’re Apart
Setting is a story element we tend to ignore sometimes. It makes sense. After all, it’s the backdrop, the shuffling of props on a darkened stage, the tugging of ropes on pulleys behind the scenes. Yet, wise writers know that setting isn’t only a story element. Setting also reflects character. Sometimes setting is a character. […]
Home: Where My Heart Is When We're Apart
Setting is a story element we tend to ignore sometimes. It makes sense. After all, it’s the backdrop, the shuffling of props on a darkened stage, the tugging of ropes on pulleys behind the scenes. Yet, wise writers know that setting isn’t only a story element. Setting also reflects character. Sometimes setting is a character. […]
February 17, 2020
Home: Where a Part of My Heart Is
“What sort of place would you want to come home to?” After twenty years of living in the same house, here is what I have grown to appreciate most about this place I call home. Silence Moments of silence are becoming more important to me in my middle-aged years. Perhaps this is because raising boys […]
February 15, 2020
This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger
Five Stars I wish I could express everything I appreciate about This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger. To say too much would spoil the book for others. As subtly as possible, I will say this adventure set in the Midwest during 1932 resonated with several touch points from my own personal journey, especially the […]
February 14, 2020
Travel Plans: The Quest for a Nest
We moved at transitional times in my growing-up years. This topic and the theme of home have shaped my writing since I was fourteen. That was the year I began writing poetry. That was the golden year writing refined part of who I am. Since then, there have been other refining moments. I consider those […]
February 10, 2020
Travel Plans: I Need a Vacation
What is the best road trip or vacation you have ever taken? When I was a little girl, my family took several road trips. A few of these trips centered around traveling from where we lived in St. Louis to where we considered to be home in Minnesota. After we moved back to Minnesota, we […]
February 8, 2020
The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin
Four Stars The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin takes readers on a generational journey into the far-future and the not-so-distant past. I found the characters unforgettable, though not altogether likable. The premise and secret within the family made it readable to the end. The poetic licence with the future and one discrepancy diminished the legitimacy […]
February 7, 2020
Priceless: Timeless Tomes
Write about something you would still buy if it cost twice as much as it costs today. I learned this sage advice in one of my college classes: “When I have a little money, I buy books; and if I have any left, I buy food and clothes.”― Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus https://www.goodreads.com/author/quot... I imagined Erasmus tromping […]
February 3, 2020
Priceless: Signature Blessing
What do you think is the most important thing for today’s children to learn in school? Hands-down, I think one of the most important things today’s children need to learn in school is handwriting. Especially cursive handwriting. Because of a rise in technology and a reduction in curriculum standards, cursive handwriting is no longer an […]
February 1, 2020
A Better Man by Louise Penny
Five Stars Louise Penny is one of my favorite authors. I wait with anticipation for her books about Inspector Gamache to be released in August and often pre-order. Her mystery writing is unique because it is character-driven. Most mysteries rely on the plot, and the characters seem inconsequential. Louise Penny weaves a backstory that causes […]
