Category Archives: writing

This Social Distance

Posted on May 27, 2020 by Andrea Jones

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 , , | 7 Comments

On Not Riding

Posted on March 10, 2020 by Andrea Jones

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 , , , , , | 7 Comments

On Not Writing

Posted on February 18, 2020 by Andrea Jones

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 , , , | 14 Comments

Vacation Reflections

Posted on August 31, 2019 by Andrea Jones

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 , , , | 8 Comments

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