A short while back, I listened to a T.V. screenwriter explain his process while making the series Colony. Carlton Cuse described a large room filled with writers throwing ideas around the room that bounced off of one another and grew bigger, taking shape and then forming storylines. The creator of the series Lost told the interviewer he… Read more
2016
I am stuck. I have a deadline of May 19th to finish revising my novel and it won’t let me move forward. Maybe it’s because I’ve gotten side tracked with writing for the band I play with. Maybe it’s because the day job has been especially demanding lately. Maybe it’s because the cottonwood covering the… Read more
Spring in one of the best wonders I know and I’ve got a few photos to prove it. Blossoms and acres of green keep finding me wherever I go: The spring fair: Dogs that bark at me from windows while I walk deep in the hilltop: Of course, the black cat who curls up on rainy… Read more
Special Note: This is a piece I wrote for the Puyallup Valley Community Band, a group I rehearse and perform with throughout the year. It’s a wonder to me that music can mean so much to so many at all ages. For Katriel Looney, reeds are the biggest problem with playing the clarinet. It’s a constant… Read more
My mother-in-law Vivian likes to read popcorn Christian romances. You know the type. There’s a swooning woman and a shirtless guy on every cover of the stacks of books she keeps close at hand. God is always a player in these stories so they are not exactly Harlequins — but they aren’t far off. Once… Read more
I do kid crafts. Sometimes I do them without kids. My latest big idea was a Leap Year Day with a frog theme. (Get it? Leap? Frog? I found this grand idea surfing around the Internet.) I planned to make a time capsule out of a Pringles can, green construction paper and various cheap decor… Read more
When we first got on the ferry on our way to an island last week, I told my sons to look closely for whales. I had never yet seen one in the wild and always wanted to catch a glimpse. Maybe, I thought, today would be the day. They hang out in the waters near… Read more
Grandma Z made lists. I found lists in her cupboards, lists on her refrigerator, lists in her bible, and lists in her picnic baskets. She once told me she loved writing things down because she was so forgetful. Making the lists helped her stay organized. When it comes to lists, I am a lot like my grandmother… Read more