Older Lady With Cat
Because I am too old to feel truly comfortable blogging, I never update right away, but prefer to sit on things, wondering if they merit a post. People blog to make friends (I am a writer -- if I wanted friends, would I have become one?) or to announce things (I have old-fashioned ideas about privacy, what with being old and all).
But it has been a while now, so, in short order: I have a cat, I have sold a picture book to an editor at Candlewick, who is also a good, smart writer. Lastly, I am teaching creative writing in the graduate program at McDaniel College.
I am hugely, mortifyingly in love with 3-year-old Dorcas, whom I adopted from the Washington Humane Society. My picture book is about two intolerant ducks who live in Venice, CA, and who try to find Sebastian Sterling, the boyfriend of their beloved friend, Polina. They never find him. And they never learn to be tolerant because that is not the kind of duck I would want to know! I love this picture book almost as much as I love Dorcas.
I have mixed feelings about teaching. On the one hand, my students are interesting and complicated people who thrill and astonish me. Plus, because the course is on How To Write a Short Story, I have been able to re-read a lot of fantastic short stories. (In my next life I want to be Harold Brodkey, Mavis Gallant or John O’Hara) But on the other hand, can writing be taught? You can, as I am, teach certain building blocks that go into writing, but is that teaching writing? I don’t have an answer. Please feel free to send me one.
Oh, and for a picture of Dorcas, click here and then click on NEWS (I can’t post photos on my blog because I would have to them pay for it and I am not the right person to pay for her blog!)
But it has been a while now, so, in short order: I have a cat, I have sold a picture book to an editor at Candlewick, who is also a good, smart writer. Lastly, I am teaching creative writing in the graduate program at McDaniel College.
I am hugely, mortifyingly in love with 3-year-old Dorcas, whom I adopted from the Washington Humane Society. My picture book is about two intolerant ducks who live in Venice, CA, and who try to find Sebastian Sterling, the boyfriend of their beloved friend, Polina. They never find him. And they never learn to be tolerant because that is not the kind of duck I would want to know! I love this picture book almost as much as I love Dorcas.
I have mixed feelings about teaching. On the one hand, my students are interesting and complicated people who thrill and astonish me. Plus, because the course is on How To Write a Short Story, I have been able to re-read a lot of fantastic short stories. (In my next life I want to be Harold Brodkey, Mavis Gallant or John O’Hara) But on the other hand, can writing be taught? You can, as I am, teach certain building blocks that go into writing, but is that teaching writing? I don’t have an answer. Please feel free to send me one.
Oh, and for a picture of Dorcas, click here and then click on NEWS (I can’t post photos on my blog because I would have to them pay for it and I am not the right person to pay for her blog!)