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Category Archives: writing
The Late Winter Rant
The view outside has become tiresome. I don’t think I’m supposed to say that. I’m not a fundamentalist, but I’ve steeped myself in a tradition of natural history that holds the world as sublime: a wellspring of solace and inspiration … Continue reading
This Social Distance
I didn’t know there was a name for my quirky lifestyle. Practical logistics dictated by our choice to move to a distinctly rural and reasonably remote area in the spring of 2001 amplified the tendency to social distance, but I’ve … Continue reading
Posted in home, working from home, writing
Tagged Covid-19, home building, working from home
7 Comments
On Not Riding
At a writing workshop I attended back in 1998, our instructor, Marita Golden, urged vigilance against opening a door in an essay if we didn’t intend to lead readers through it at some point. In other words, don’t distract your … Continue reading
Posted in animal communication, horses, writing
Tagged Chekhov’s gun, dressage, horseback riding, horses, Marita Golden, writing advice
7 Comments
On Not Writing
The classic, and in some ways definitive, advice on writing is this line by Mary Heaton Vorse, as chronicled by Sinclair Lewis: “The art of writing is the art of applying the seat of the pants to the seat of … Continue reading
Posted in procrastination, scientific literacy, writing
Tagged craft writing, science, scientific literacy, writing
14 Comments
Vacation Reflections
Well, vacations—both the planned of July and the unplanned of August—are over: time to get back to writing work. What better way to get back into the routine than to reflect on the break? About not writing in August, there’s … Continue reading
Posted in observation, trees and plants, wildflowers, writing
Tagged 2019 wildflower season, Colorado wildflowers, field guides, nature writing
8 Comments
July Vacation
This morning began with work on a blog post I’ve had in mind since sometime in May. I took a batch of pictures for it on the first of June, and finally started writing this morning, running late but determined … Continue reading
Posted in color, summer, trees and plants, wildflowers, writing
Tagged Colorado wildflowers, penstemon
8 Comments
Best Tip for Getting Out of Your Head
After weeks of grinding away on a recalcitrant chapter for my book project, I am dazed, cranky, frustrated, and thoroughly sick of being in the same room with myself. Deciding that it’s time to get out of my own head, … Continue reading
Leaving Words at Home
I often say I write about my home place, but that’s not true all the time. The book project currently consuming my writing energy, for example, is about scientific literacy. (Though it might far afield from the natural history and … Continue reading
Posted in observation, travel, working from home, writing
Tagged Azores, Canyon de Chelly, Fire Island, Iceland, Istanbul, journaling, Palm Springs, travel
Comments Off on Leaving Words at Home
Windbreak Anniversary
About a decade ago, on the afternoon of October 12, 2007, I turned off South Dakota’s Highway 79 a few miles south of the small town of Hermosa, onto a road called Windbreak Lane. In January of that year I … Continue reading
Posted in learning, poetry, reading, writing
Tagged Linda M. Hasselstrom, South Dakota, Windbreak House retreats, writer's retreats, writing
2 Comments
Packing for the Trip
First things first: I am not a poet. As I mentioned in my last post, my writerly sensibilities are suited to essays, and that’s where I’ve long staked my claim. If I were to pursue poetry again, I suspect the … Continue reading