dpreisig

The Work of Refinement

It’s a quiet week in my world. A relief after the hustle of my week off work. Traveling There are no announcements, no finished chapters, no visible milestones. What there is, instead, is refinement. Tomorrow I’ll be revising Chapter 7 in preparation for reading at Scribes. Reading aloud is an important tool. It clarifies rhythm,Continue reading “The Work of Refinement”

Knowing the Characters

When I read at Scribes last week, I was amazed again at the response. It does my heart good. People respond as though the characters’ inner lives feel real. They ask questions about motives, tensions, and decisions as if these are living people rather than historical figures on a page. That tells me something important.Continue reading “Knowing the Characters”

Standing on the Same Ground

Abraham Lincoln grew up in Indiana. I grew up in Indiana. So did my ancestors. We didn’t live in the same century but lived in the same state. That shared geography matters. My grandparents had a photo of Lincoln that always hung in their house, and it now hangs in mine. I think this isContinue reading “Standing on the Same Ground”

What I Wish My Favorite Authors Had Shared

I’ve been thinking about blogging advice lately–especially the idea that you need to know who you’re writing for. That question became much clearer when I stopped thinking like a writer and started thinking like a reader. If I could read the blog of one of my favorite authors, I know exactly what I’d want toContinue reading “What I Wish My Favorite Authors Had Shared”

What I Learn From Revision

Today I’m back at my desk working through revisions and noticing the difference in pacing. Rough drafts and the first revision take a lot more time. It is more difficult for me to draft something from nothing than it is to polish it, even though I work from a detailed outline. Once I have theContinue reading “What I Learn From Revision”

Still Working

I’m taking a moment to share an update. The Scribes was cancelled yesterday due to the extreme cold, so I didn’t get to read Chapter 6 or get any feedback. I was a little disappointed not to make progress forward and not to see my friends and go out to eat, but this kept everyoneContinue reading “Still Working”

Finally Back After the Holidays

It’s my week off again, which is the only time I have to write. I just finished a grueling work week as many others have too, due to the winter storm and super cold temperatures. The talk of the town has been what type of snow blower do you have? I actually like mine aContinue reading “Finally Back After the Holidays”

A Friend

It’s been another week of Christmas with decorating, cooking, going to parties, and I feel way behind. I’ve probably been doing too much genealogy stuff. I just find it fascinating. This week I discovered a cache of photos on another website. I’ve been researching my ancestors from Wales. I am 1/8 Welsh and had noContinue reading “A Friend”

Clean Up

I have been taking a couple of weeks off from my blog and writing. It’s probably been close to two months since I have written. The holidays strike again. After my Thanksgiving I had to work, leaving things at the house rather a mess. I am now on a 3 week break from work. IContinue reading “Clean Up”

Blogging

I am running late tonight, very late, for getting this out. My father and stepmother are in hospice and don’t get out much. I ran my father over to my brother’s house to see his train room, which is enormous–bigger than some people’s houses. Anyway, I think it does him a lot of good toContinue reading “Blogging”