At the end of every year, I like to take some time to think about some of the things that made me happy to accomplish in the previous year. (If I don’t do this, then I get into a sort of rut and start to think that my life is passing before my eyes, so … Continue reading 2025 Reflections
Musings
NaNoWriMo 2025
Friends, welcome to National Novel Writing Month 2025—also fondly known as “NaNoWriMo” among those of us who have a love/hate relationship with it. NaNo is the unofficial month during which writers of all sorts pour every word they've ever come into contact with and can chip out of their brains onto the page in attempts … Continue reading NaNoWriMo 2025
My Real Reason for Writing, or Thank Goodness I Was Not Published at Fourteen
When I was, yes, maybe fourteen or so, I wrote a very short novel called The Emerald Chronicles. (Theoretically, it was the first book in a series, but I never finished the second book.) It had a sort of Snow White-ish introduction, involving a beautiful young girl whose mother dies and is tragically replaced with … Continue reading My Real Reason for Writing, or Thank Goodness I Was Not Published at Fourteen
I went camping recently.
Yes, I did, and it was really lovely. I have found no better way to get free of life's many entanglements than to go camp in the woods somewhere and hide away from almost all of humanity. I packed up a very tall stack of books and magazines, more notebooks than I could ever reasonably … Continue reading I went camping recently.
Making Time for Writing
Since coming back from finishing some recent work projects, I’ve been staring down the conundrum that every writer wrestles with: how do I make time for writing? Historically, I’ve managed to block out hours throughout the week, sit down at my desk, and throw a lot of words together. It wasn't easy then, but it’s … Continue reading Making Time for Writing
These Women Write
For Women's History Month in 2023, I decided to compile a list of great women writers from around the world and throughout the centuries. Elizabeth Acevedo Elizabeth Acevedo was only 14 years old when she started competing in poetry slams. Born to Dominican immigrant parents, she grew up in Harlem, New York. She went on … Continue reading These Women Write
Everywhere You Look: Wonders in Hawaii, Wonders at Home
There’s nothing like going to an exotic island in the middle of the ocean to shake up your worldview and give you some good writing inspiration. Before venturing to the Rainbow State, whenever I thought of Hawaii, I pictured white sandy beaches, white hot sun, and lots of tourists. Those things are definitely there too, … Continue reading Everywhere You Look: Wonders in Hawaii, Wonders at Home
“Pumbaa, Not in Front of the Kids!” Smashing the Fourth Wall in The Lion King
Last week, my husband and I saw the new live action version of The Lion King. I know a lot of people get worked up about whether or not the new live action versions of the old Disney classics are worth the time and effort that are being put into them, but generally speaking, we’ve … Continue reading “Pumbaa, Not in Front of the Kids!” Smashing the Fourth Wall in The Lion King
To Infinity, and Beyond!
From what Google tells me today is the 50th anniversary of the moon landing. I love that Google did a doodle for that historic event. Space exploration is one of my favorite science/sci-fi subjects. It utilizes two key human instincts—creativity and exploration. Humans have always been curious, working to keep pushing onward into unknown frontiers. … Continue reading To Infinity, and Beyond!
Submarine Musings, or The Library Welcomes Me Home
I recently had an idea for a story that would take place on a submarine. Problem is, I know nothing about submarines. And it’s been a long time since I’ve had to do so much research for something would be so fundamental for the story I was writing. I mean, if the entire story takes … Continue reading Submarine Musings, or The Library Welcomes Me Home
Jordan Radford Writes 