Here's a thought (not a resolution, a promise, a claim, a stand, or any such grand thing - just a thought) as we find ourselves already launched into 2014. Make room for the things and activities and people you love.
life
When you find yourself in an alternative universe: Fictional Lesson #4
Do you ever get the feeling that you fell asleep in one universe, and woke up in another? I did, while out walking in our unseasonably warm weather, on this last afternoon of 2013. In the last two years, I've changed nearly everything in my life: work, vocation, where I live, who I live with. … Continue reading When you find yourself in an alternative universe: Fictional Lesson #4
Last minute lessons, on the Writers’ Vineyard
For my end of year post on the Writers' Vineyard, I tossed together a few lessons from 2013, the year I became a published author. Written at the last minute, of course. Here is lesson number one: Authorship means negotiating a series of paradoxes. Writing is solitary and communal, it is art and business, it … Continue reading Last minute lessons, on the Writers’ Vineyard
Moving right along, on Savvy Authors
My third contribution to the Savvy Authors blog just happened to fall on the same day I plan to move from my apartment to a house, and about a week before I have to return the latest revisions on my next novel's manuscript. I couldn't resist the metaphor, of course, so the piece compares the … Continue reading Moving right along, on Savvy Authors
To be full of thanks
Do you think it is a coincidence that we eat ourselves silly on the holiday devoted to gratitude? Or perhaps, as we strive to be full of thanks, we decide to settle for being full of mashed potatoes. (I'm not complaining. I love mashed potatoes, and mine are simmering on my stove as I write … Continue reading To be full of thanks
Wormholes and Time Travel: Savvy Authors Blog
Today my second contribution to Savvy Authors reprises thoughts published last month on this blog, with a bit more focus on how writers can navigate the time-travel demands of our profession. Here's an excerpt: As the omniscient author, or at least one who’s trying to pretend I know what’s going on, I seek wormholes, or … Continue reading Wormholes and Time Travel: Savvy Authors Blog
Read a banned book today
It's Banned Books Week. As an avid reader of all kinds of books, I find it tremendously disturbing that any one person or group would seek to control what I choose to read. As an author, I would consider it a high compliment if my work sparked an attempt to ban it. That means its … Continue reading Read a banned book today
How to start fall
Now read that title carefully - that's how to start fall, as in the season, not how to start a fall, like Chevy Chase. Depending on what source you consult (and believe), autumn began either this past Saturday, Sunday, or today. It is marked by an equinox - a day in which light and dark … Continue reading How to start fall
Stories of luck, life, and love
This month kicks off two new features here on Point No Point: Thirteen Good Luck Stories, on the 13th of each month, and Fictional Lessons for All-Too-Real Life, on the 30th of each month. "Every day, good luck comes in the strangest of ways." This line from a song by British singer-songwriter-slide guitar master Chris … Continue reading Stories of luck, life, and love
The heart of your story
This month, my contribution to the Writers' Vineyard is about finding the heart of your story. Not just the story you want to publish, but the story you want to live: If we focus on what is essential about ourselves as writers, we can let the rest go. Follow all the suggestions and feedback we … Continue reading The heart of your story
Elizabeth Fountain, Author 