http://www.wednesdaywords.com "Tell the truth, but tell it slant/success in circuit lies...." Emily Dickinson Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:51:58 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Someone has said that one of the most crucial aspects of writing is noticing. I don't disagree. Oh, sure--there are tricks of the trade, and even rules any writer must learn so that he or she will know when to break them. (I imagine my English teachers cringing here...I am sorry. But only a little.) But ... http://www.wednesdaywords.com/2009/10/28/a-trick-of-the-eye/ Driving recently through a neighborhood not far from mine, I saw this sobering message graffitied on a meter box:  This is as good as it gets.  The corresponding spray-painted artwork depicted a somber looking male face. It might have been the artist's hasty self-portrait. Or it could have been a stylized Christ, or even Che ... http://www.wednesdaywords.com/2009/09/12/as-good-as-it-gets/   Open air parking and a pair of 70 year old oak trees in the front yard mean that my car gets washed fairly often. Sometimes with the water hose and a bucket, but more frequently (and conveniently) at the drive thru car wash a few miles from home.    The perky, onscreen video-girl ... http://www.wednesdaywords.com/2009/09/03/a-contemplative-visits-the-car-wash/   I love mugs. Love wrapping my fingers around a mug filled with hot, aromatic coffee, morning or night. I like the weight of my numerous mugs; their irregularities and the random stories behind them. Mugs are multi-functional at my house: they not only serve hot beverages, they make a perfectly ... http://www.wednesdaywords.com/2009/09/03/one-of-a-kind-mug-10/ I had to grin when I saw him…mostly because I could relate. The fellow coming toward me on the sidewalk just had way too much going on at once. He led three bigger-than-average dogs on leashes (or, they led him) – and a boy of about five or six wobbled ... http://www.wednesdaywords.com/2009/09/03/living-with-my-hands-full/ In a little over a month I will have a new book out. So these days I'm finding myself on the firing end of the obvious question "So, what is that thing about, anyway?"   I know enough marketing to know that I should be able to answer this question in 15 seconds or less, ... http://www.wednesdaywords.com/2009/07/29/tangible-proof/ We met for the first time at a small coffee shop near my house. A mutual friend had suggested we would be good for one another. He seemed kind and respectful as we spoke by phone to set up the meeting, and neither of us bothered to describe ourselves to ... http://www.wednesdaywords.com/2009/07/29/telling-his-story/ Because my desk faces a window that faces the street, not a day goes by that I don't see some kind of mini-drama unfold. (If I had gotten up early enough, I might have been a witness to car theft when my across-the-street neighbors' Suburban was stolen out of their ... http://www.wednesdaywords.com/2009/07/29/high-flyers/ "Bababa-ba-ba-baaahhm, bababa ba ba baaahhm..." The 45-rpm record (ask your mother, maybe she'll explain) dropped to the spinning turntable, the arm swung over, and the needle found its groove. There were some scratches, sure - and not the kind artfully inserted by a gyrating DJ - but the music came through ... http://www.wednesdaywords.com/2009/07/01/an-innocent-age/ He's 25. She's 21. I held her when she was just hours old, and loved her before I ever saw her face. She is my sister's youngest daughter...and she's engaged. She's about to begin her senior year of college, and she's planning a January wedding. A little over a week ago they sat on ... http://www.wednesdaywords.com/2009/07/01/betrothed/