A DAY AT THE BEACH

 <This blog originally appeared on the Sand in our Shorts blog July 2022>>

It’s that time of year, you know, beach season. A time to pack up your beach bag and escape to the shore for bit of fun and sun (and in my case, the inevitable sunburn).

Popular activities which can only be enjoyed at the beach include body surfing, boogie boarding, sand-castle building, and fighting off seagulls for the last potato chip on your plate.

As the sun goes down, you repack your bag and head for a local beach dive bar. Popular post-day-at-the-beach drinks include Pina Colada, Mojito, Orange Crush, and the much less popular but certainly appropriate Seagull Wine. Not something I've ever heard of, but I'm picturing a nice pinot gris with a soaring seagull on its label. I could not be more wrong.

Those of you with a curious mind will have your finger twitching on your mouse to scamper off to Google-land. I’ll save you the trouble.

THE WRITERLY LIFE: PERCEPTION vs. REALITY

 

<<NOTE: this post originally appeared on the Sand in our Shorts blog September, 2022> 

Many people I’ve met are envious of the writerly life. But their perceptions of what it’s like to be a writer don’t quite match up to reality. Here are my observations.

     What society thinks I do: Spend all day rolling around in my royalty money.

     What my friends think I do: Go to lunch with them (well, yes, I do that a lot) and then go home and roll around in royalty money.

     What my family thinks I do: Binge on Chunky Monkey ice cream while watching TV, reaching out to tap out a few lofty and erudite sentences when the muse hits. (In my defense I do need to “study” the “occasional” movie for plotting and dialogue training. But it’s all under the banner of “continuing education.") And then roll around in royalty money.

     What my agent thinks I do: Write…excuses as to why I need an extension on my deadline. She knows there is no royalty money in which to roll around.

     What my dogs think I do: Wait by the door to let them out. Wait by the door to let them in. Wait by the door to let them out. Wait by the door to let them in. (Anyone who has dogs can relate…) They don’t give a flying fig about royalty money.

     What I think I do: Tap-tap-tapity-tap all day long, churning out page after page of gripping stories, then send to my agent and wait for the royalty money to roll in.

     What I really do: