Marie from 1WriteWay and I are finishing up our Flash Essay course. We’ll be posting about it before too long. I’ve had a very full work and personal (not fun stuff) schedule this summer, so adding that course was a bit much, but it did get me writing again. That’s always a good thing, even if just for my mental outlook.
I’m enjoying having Nakana part of the household but because of travel and a non-recorded leukemia test on Nakana I’ve had to wait to introduce her to the other cats. I’m sure they wonder who that is behind the closed door! Tiger is especially curious and waits in the hall for me when I’m with Nakana.
I’m reading two books right now. One is Writing Our Way Home, a collection of writings by people who have been homeless, edited by WordPress blogger and Southern writer Ellen Morris Prewitt. I’m going slow and savoring.
The other book I’m reading is one suggested for class: The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Nonfiction:
Because I am way too overtired this summer, I am falling asleep the minute I sit or lie down, so reading books where I can read in digestible chunks is wonderful. These are both well worth putting on your list.
As I move into the August hubbub and end of summer doldrums (brief pause to hurriedly look up “doldrums”–yup, that fits–“a state or period of inactivity, stagnation, or depression,” but I think I also meant dog days, which are the hottest days and a period of sluggishness), I might post less regularly. I try to usually post Mondays and Thursdays, although sometimes I add in an extra or switch a Thursday for Wednesday or Friday. But I don’t plan on sticking to any particular schedule in August. Then I’ll re-start my regular schedule in September. I’ll be checking on your blogs as I get online!
If you are still thinking of picking up a copy of Doll God, it’s also a book that can be read in small chunks–a poem a day, for instance.
About summer in Arizona, Doll God has this to say:
the heat hints at its future
when all will be blue blue blue.
Blue sky over everything. Only here in Phoenix is blue not a cool color, but a FLAME HOT color!
Thanks for the book recommendations, Luanne. I am drawn to short writing, perhaps from laziness or, like you, taking things in small, digestible chunks. I’m working on an Amy Tan novel right now – her latest – which will probably take me until September to finish because it is soooooo long. Here’s to your R & R in August. I hope fall brings you calmer days, full of quiet inspiration.
Susanne, Amy Tan novels are hardly readable in “small, digestible chunks” haha! I’ve set all my long to-be-reads in a separate pile and plan to go through the shorter works first. I just don’t have that long-term focus right now. Thank you for your wonderful wishes.I wish you the same!! and hope your writing is coming along.
Thanks for the book recommendations. These both sound worth a read fir obvious reasons, and I’ve noted them on my wish list. I am very interested to hear about your flash essay course. It’s right up my alley (if only I knew what it was and how to craft it!!) i say that seriously and with a tad of summer chagrin.
Hang in there. The dog days beat us all down so use ’em for lighter reading and sipping a cool one.
Posting about the flash essay course on Monday. Marie and I have been working on our evaluation! I think you would love that course. Our evaluation won’t have anything about the subject itself, but I might post about it this fall. Jeannieunbottled sent me 3 beautiful cozies to read, and I might do that because I need to just “get away.”
Look forward to the flash info and glad you are using the word cozy. That’s a good sign.
Hope those dog days of summer doldrums soon pass Luanne. You’ve been through so much lately, and working so hard, no wonder you feel exhausted. Hope all your furry babies get on well and bring you days of fun and joy. We have a new family member about which I’ll blog soon…and it ‘s not a cat, but a bunny, ha! Totally unexpected…but there it is. I know you can relate! Thanks for the book tips. Flash non-fiction intrigues me. I look forward to reading about your course as and when. Also must read Writing our Way Home… I hope you have a good week ahead and keep cool kid 🙂 xx
Flash nonfiction is PERFECT for you, Sherri. Marie and I are going to post our evaluation of the course on Monday. I might post this fall or later in August more about the subject of flash nonfiction. It’s really a wonderful way to write in the nonfiction genre when your life is full of distractions, etc. Have a wonderful week yourself, xoxoxo.
This summer is whizzing by. Then again, they always seem too. Hope you can find a bit of a respite next month. 🙂
Thanks, Carrie. I hope to do just that. We will see how it works out . . . . Have a good end of the summer yourself!
Thanks for your summer update. This has been such a hard year for you — I hope you can spend some of the dog days resting and recovering. It’s exciting, though, that you took a flash essay course and also that you have Nakana. Here’s to bringing good things into your life!
Yes, I grabbed both of those “good things” with both hands, too. I thought about the reasons not to do both of them, but I just went with it, and I’m glad I did. Thank you for the books!! I’m looking forward to them.
You’re welcome!
Hope you get time to draw breath and enjoy the moment. xxx
Thank you, Jean! I am going to try. You too!!!
Thanks for the book recommendations, Luanne. So glad to hear you are writing. xo
Rudri, what a fun subject it was! I’m going to enjoy working on some of these pieces and trying some new ones this fall.
Relax! It’s summertime! I need to practice what I’m preaching. 🙂
LOL. Yeah, you DO! Let’s both let go a little and try to enjoy the end of the summer!
Hope you have time for some languorous summer days, rather than being in the doldrums. Post whenever you feel like it–or don’t.
I loved your observation that blue is not a cool color in Phoenix. 🙂
Merril, I’m planning on going swimming. That is something I never do. And we’ll see what else! Have a lovely end of the summer. I’m glad you got some beach time in!
Thanks, Luanne. Enjoy your swimming!
I hope you sail out of the doldrums soon Luanne and that you can soon enjoy having Nakana as an integrated member of the household 🙂
Thanks, Andrea. I’m looking into cat crates so that I can speed things up by putting her in a “cage” while we’re watching TV and stuff. My cats are not going to visit her at the end of the hall where she’s at. I have a gate up, so they can “chat,” but they are not going to see her. So I am considering putting her in their midst for a couple hours at a time. Still thinking it over.
I love reading short stories, Luanne. A lot of publishes won’t take them because they say they’re not saleable – how very wrong they are! 😉
Dianne, I agree that they can be very satisfying. They are also satisfying to write because you can get so much accomplished in a short story.
Glad to hear that you have been jostled from your season of not writing. I hope you give yourself a respite from your emotionally wearing summer. <3
Thanks, Viv. I am actually planning to. We’ll see how it goes! I hope you have a wonderful last month of summer!
The book about writing your way home sounds like something I would like. For some reason I’ve never been able to get into flash fiction, but poetry is another matter–perfect for those small moments in time when we want to pause and refresh.
Have you been reading flash fiction in journals? You might like flash nonfiction, if you haven’t read much of it. In fact, sometimes there is a fine line between FNF and poetry.
Thank you, Luanne, for featuring Writing Our Way Home!!! The writers will be so pleased. We return to Memphis next week, and I see writing group on Wednesday—I’ll tell them they’re getting famous on the internet. 🙂