Why Dabble?

Someone questioned why I used the phrase "dabbles with writing." By the tone of the question I got the idea that she perhaps thought I was being disrespectful to serious writers. Please let me apologize to any who might think that was my intent. Am I a beginner in the writing business? In many ways, yes. Even though I've been writing in some area or another for years, I am presently writing my first cozy mystery. Am I serious about it? Absolutely! But I also recognize that I am inexperienced both as a blogger and as a novelist, and one or more definitions of dabble certainly fit: "to scratch the surface of " or "to keep busy with" or "to do something in an intermittent manner." Sadly, I have not yet become a disciplined writer who puts in hours each day, but as some of my friends say "it keeps me busy and off the street."
I'm not so sure that to dabble is a bad thing. Whether or not my book is ever published, I've enjoyed writing it. O.k., I'll confess, slogging through some of the problems with it hasn't been my idea of fun, but the feeling of accomplishment when I stick with it is very rewarding. To me this is a lot like my years in art. I'm not good at everything - I'll never make it as a realist painter. But if I hadn't been encouraged to dabble, to stick my toe in, and try things, I never would have found the other areas where I am more competent, nor would I have had an opportunity to spend many years in the classroom teaching something I love. Thinking we have to commit to something fully and be immediately proficient is limiting. So dabble, my friends! To borrow an old phrase, "nothing ventured, nothing gained."

Are You Keeping a Journal?

I've started many journals or diaries over the years, and rarely completed any of them. My friend, Debbie Herbert, is the guest blogger on www.writersinthestorm.wordpress.com today, and gives some excellent tips for using journals or notebooks. I'm so lucky to be in a small group of writers with her, because her dedication to her craft inspires us every time we meet. She has a two-book deal with a major publisher that will publish her book in November. She's already completed the second book in the series, and has other manuscripts ready as well.
Check out her advice on journals in the guest blog Moving Past 'Dear Diary' and her website www.debbieherbert.com.  

Still Learning, Appreciating Zinnias

When I started this blog, I was in a workshop with a very patient teacher. Now that I've been on my own with it, I find that I probably should have made better notes! My children and some of my friends have declared that not only am I not computer literate, but also might best be labeled as computer dangerous. Sadly, they are right.
So when you do not see current blog entries from me it might be that I have nothing to say, or as in the last few days, that I couldn't find the right page that would allow me to do an entry.
As to something to write, there's no big news. I've been out of town again and came back behind in finishing a project.
 I do want to mention that the long drive home from North Carolina was made so much more pleasant by the sight of patches of zinnias planted in some sections of the median on I 85. I've rarely seen them so densely planted before, and at first didn't even realize what they were. The masses of green foliage topped with the bright blossoms made me smile, bringing back memories of the summer my late husband planted part of a field in multi-colored zinnias.