Heather Johnson's Blog, page 8

Too Many Hyphens

In one of my favorite movies ever, Amadeus, a king tells Mozart that his latest opera contained “too many notes.” “Just cut a few,” the monarchsaid. Of course that did not go over well with the genius composer. As writers, we often cut a few words, or even a lot of words, to the benefit of the work. But what about punctuation?

I came across a funny story, well-covered in The Guardian, about another poor decision byAmazon. The everything giant pulled an author’srecently-self-published werewolf...

Teamwork Can Stop the Unstoppable

Anyone who believes that running is a solitary sport is not fully participating. A late bloomer, I missed the team-oriented high school and college running experience. It wasn’t until my first few cross country races, in 2007, at age 36, that I understood the value and satisfaction of running as a team.

In cross country, runners are scored individually, but team scoring takes priority. I understood the rules, but really, it wasn’t until 2012 (age 41), my first full cross-country season, that I...

Kops for Kids

On the night of November 24, I walked down to the ground floor of my apartment building to put in another load of laundry. As soon as I descended the stairs, I heard the roar of helicopters and the scream of police sirens. I paused for a minute or two to watch the helicopters circle the air above. I live about two miles from downtown Oakland. Oh sh**t, I thought. I had a pretty good idea why they were there. I checked the news as soon as I got back inside and learned about the decision. The d...

Heather is out of the office. Meow.

Hello/Meow. I’m Soleil. I am filling in for the person that feeds me today. She said (yes, I can understand her. Cats are smarter than you think.) that she’s overworked and overstressed these days and asked me to fill in for her while she rests. No wonder, she only sleeps about seven hours, and at night, no less! She should take my advice and sleep at least 16 hours a day—preferably in the sun, curled into a ball. I also told her to eat catnip, but she didn’t listen. Oh well, more for me.

I di...

Home Away from Home

This afternoon, I wanted to enjoy the perfect weather in sunny Oakland and scribble in my notebook.Plus I had errands to run: pick up the two things that I forgot to pick up at Farmer Joe’s. So I strolled down Lakeshore, completing errands on the way and stopped at Astro Park near Lake Merritt. I expected to see lots of folks loving the lake for Oaklavia, an annual event put on by Walk Oakland Bike Oakland that lets people walk, bike and play in the streets for an afternoon. I didn’t expect t...

A Memoir is Not a Status Update

I “like” (pun intended)this essayfrom Dani Shapiroin the New Yorker.I admit, I look at Facebook more often than I should, usually when I want a break from the nap-inducing legal news job. I appreciate Facebook for giving me another way to keep in touch with my cousins, my niece and a few friends that live in other states (or countries). But I think of it as an enhancement to, and not a replacement for, real connection. When the major life events happen, social media is the last place I turn f...

Cutting Back the Weeds

My neighbor down the hall, David, passed away a couple weeks ago after a battle with cancer. He was in his 70s, that much I know.

Up until very recently, when illness and radiation treatments got the better of him, he ventured out almost every afternoon for a short stroll outside, taking in the bustle of Lakeshore Avenue and the views of the Oakland hills. He walked slowly, deliberately, and for about the past year, with a cane. When it was cold, he wore a tweed flat cap to cover his thick sho...

Essay: Facilitating a Break

It is easy to get too comfortable in the peloton. We move forward, at varying rates of speed, but always in concert with the school of individuals around us. We don’t have to think too much about where we’re going; just follow the pack. Behave erratically, we get knocked back in place. Get lazy, we get left behind. Best to go with the flow.

In the peloton, we have people to talk to. We can socialize with our neighbors. If we need food or water, someone will most likely give it to us. A neighbo...

Webinar Recap: Writing for the “Christian” Market

Writer’s Digest recently offered a free webinar titled “How to Land High Paying Writing Gigs in the Christian Market.” Presented by American Writers & Artists Inc., the webinar covered everything from the skills needed to succeed in the Christian business market, to writing and copywriting opportunities available, to tips on how to break in.

I’m not a Christian, but I signed up anyway to find out if a spiritual non-Christian would have a place in the Christian market. Turns out, I really don’t...

Essay: Signs and Signals

I submitted this to a couple publications but no luck yet. While I keep plugging away, I figured it should existsomewhere other than on my computer.The subject matter isn’t something I’m exactly proud of, but I grew a lot from the experience. And hopefully it makes a decent story! — Hj

Signals and Signs

I knew he was married. I looked for the ring the first time I met him. The shiny gold band on his tanned finger warned me not to just proceed with caution, but to flat-out stop any fleeting thou...