>We seek him here, we seek him there,Those Frenchies seek him everywhere.Is he in heaven?--Is he in hell?That demmed, elusive Pimpernel.Everyone but his wife admires the Sir Percy Blakeney's witticism. "All done in the tying of a cravat," the foppish aristocrat declares. I plan to return the book to the library today and, I must … Continue reading >Scarlet Pimpernel

>Discipline may be the chief ingredient in writing. Creativity and skill are important, but I believe discipline is even more crucial. A person can be skilled and creative, but the well-formed sentences and creative ideas will never be read if he doesn't have the discipline to wrestle them onto the mat.A few days ago I … Continue reading >Discipline

>What is a masterpiece?I admire realistic paintings, preferring them to abstracts that I don't understand or appreciate. I love paintings from the Hudson River Valley school. I see God's majesty reflected in Albert Bierstadt's towering cloud banks and rugged peaks, dwarfing the tiny deer grazing beside still pools. I like Frederick Remington's dusty landscapes, bursting … Continue reading >Masterpiece

>I walked with my friend, Barb, yesterday. Even though it was windy, it was another gorgeous fall day with a clear blue sky and temperatures in the 60s. We stopped near the dam to watch the pelicans. Realizing how soon the weather will become November dismal, we try to take advantage of these nice days. … Continue reading >Walking

>I subscribe to A.Word.A.Day and make note cards of the ones I want to remember. Today's word is parisology (pa-ri-SOL-uh-jee) = "The use of equivocal or ambiguous language."The nice things about AWAD are the helpful pronunciation keys and the fact that the words are generally new to me. Yahoo's daily words from Petersons.com are never … Continue reading >Working with Words

>As I struggle to write both nonfiction and fiction well, I feel like a circus rider balancing with one foot on the nonfiction quarter horse and one foot on the fiction Arabian.The quarter horse does pretty much what I want it to do; I just have to keep it moving at a steady pace. But … Continue reading >Riding

>While I was typing my "Dry Spell" post yesterday morning, my mailman was slipping a small envelope into the appropriate cubbyhole in his sorting case. After lunch I found that envelope in my mailbox and, seeing my name and the name of the sender, tore it open and read the note as I walked back … Continue reading >Encouragement

>Some unusual circumstances in my life have contributed to a writing dry spell. For the past several weeks, I haven't even enjoyed my work. I feel as if I've been wandering through the desert without the manna of creativity falling from heaven.I am also reminded of the parched bones in Ezekiel's vision. But one can't … Continue reading >Dry Spell

>This morning I reheated one of yesterday morning's blueberry muffins in the microwave. I cut it while it was very hot and as I sliced off a slab of butter, I thought, "So that's what they really mean by 'a hot knife through butter'." Never before had the experience so visually impressed me. There are … Continue reading >Visual Aids

>I've been translating the book of John from the Vulgate, and I've been translating it at the rate of a chapter per week. At the same time, I've been reviewing Wheelock's with an online group at the rate of a chapter per week. No wonder I have so much difficulty getting anything else accomplished!The translation … Continue reading >Vulgate