Summertime, time to work?

It’s been a while since I actually wrote a blog post that wasn’t a rehash of something I wanted to remember or a book review.  Don’t be discouraged.  The book reviews were to get me to focus on structure and the elements of writing in books… instead of just zipping through them for pleasure.  I don’t intend to make it the focus of the blog, but I do think it’s interesting to read from the point of view that I need to say more than “I liked it” or “I hated it.”

As August approaches, Houston continues to do its Hot thing.  I had the pleasure of being in Southwest Michigan last week and lost touch with that reality when the days didn’t get over 80 and the nights were in the 50s.  Such civilized weather!  It had us out planting flowers, walking in the woods, and cuddling in blankets to watch movies late into the night.  Nights so dark and star studded that we felt we had fallen into the velvet of another world. 

Home though, we are in what my midwestern heart considers the dead of winter, (dangerous to be outside and not fun) or summer if you must. Too hot to do anything of substance outside.  Time to stay hunkered into the A/C and clean closets and think about selling the now way too big house.  And time to read and write, which feels so totally indulgent to me.

I’ve joined a couple of writing groups to try to spur myself into more serious application of my time.  I am tired of work shopping stories written years ago, so it is time to write new ones.  I have lines or titles or images that have been whispering this summer, if I can manage to coax them in to fully realized narratives, I’ll try. 

For now, perhaps a photograph as a placeholder.