Category Archives: writing

July Vacation

Posted on July 1, 2019 by Andrea Jones

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 , | 8 Comments

Best Tip for Getting Out of Your Head

Posted on March 16, 2018 by Andrea Jones

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 →

Posted in books, reading, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Leaving Words at Home

Posted on December 1, 2017 by Andrea Jones

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 →

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Windbreak Anniversary

Posted on October 26, 2017 by Andrea Jones

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 , , , , | 2 Comments

Packing for the Trip

Posted on July 31, 2017 by Andrea Jones

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 →

Posted in poetry, travel, writing | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Writing Short

Posted on July 18, 2017 by Andrea Jones

I recently dipped my toe into the sub-genre of so-called “flash” or “micro” nonfiction, the defining characteristic of which is an abbreviated word count. I regularly write blog posts in the 700-900 word range, which qualify as flash nonfiction under … Continue reading →

Posted in observation, poetry, writing | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Notes from the At-Home Writing Retreat

Posted on December 12, 2016 by Andrea Jones

When my husband decided in October that he’d be making a quick trip out of town in early December, I immediately knew what I’d be doing that weekend: an at-home writing retreat. Credit for my inspiration belongs to Linda Hasselstrom, … Continue reading →

Posted in working from home, writing | Tagged , | 1 Comment

On Sitting

Posted on November 23, 2016 by Andrea Jones

I walked out of the house with no aim other than to go somewhere and sit: no destination, no errand, not even a camera to box in my attention. I’m not noodling a conundrum from a piece of writing left … Continue reading →

Posted in change of seasons, fall, observation, writing | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Beyond the Frame

Posted on November 1, 2016 by Andrea Jones

In mid-October, I hit the road for Santa Fe, where I attended the Women Writing the West conference. After a socializing, talking shop, and attending sessions on craft and the business of writing with colleagues for a few days, my … Continue reading →

Posted in driving, observation, travel, writing | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Seeing Voices

Posted on June 24, 2016 by Andrea Jones

Back in early June, I packed my too-heavy suitcase (too many books, too much paperwork) and left the horses and the garden and the weeds and the house in care of my husband. I was off to Vermont, to the … Continue reading →

Posted in reading, travel, writing | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments