The Haunted Pizza
Your writing prompt for Halloween is inspired by a post by children’s author, Dee Leone: I’m not at all sure she meant for that to inspire tales of terror, but since she’s not been seen online since posting this (as of my posting this, anyway), I thought we could amuse ourselves by writing […]
autonomous pizza delivery vehicle, driverless cars, haunted pizza, writing prompts
#Inktober2018, Fiction, Visual Perspectives
Killing Four Prompts with One Sketch #Inktober #Inktober2018
Could’ve been five, with the soap bottle. I was so surprised to see diamonds dripping from the faucet, this morning, that I scorched the toast. Scorched toast is so brittle, so breakable; half of it crumbled into tiny bits that got washed into the drain, along with priceless diamond dust and a few good-sized chunks. […]
breakable, drain, expensive, ink, Inktober, Inktober2018, scorched
#Inktober2018, Visual Perspectives
Swollen #Inktober #Inktober2018
What do you think of, when you read the word “swollen”? Which of those things would you choose to draw, and post online? I was leaning towards a pregnant belly, but that isn’t exactly “swollen.” It’s normal and beautiful, large and fecund… But the thing most often swollen in pregnancy is feet. And fingers. Then […]
#Inktober2018, Visual Perspectives
Angles #Inktober #Inktober2018
I don’t draw humans. When I try, I scribble over their faces to save them embarrassment. But I think I got the angles right. Or maybe I’m just obtuse. Reference Image
How Do You Use a Semicolon?
I will never understand the hatred of the semicolon. It is a useful and correct punctuation mark, if ever there was one. It has saved me, many times, from being run over by a run-on sentence. A run-on sentence is like the grafting of a lemon tree and a lime, using nothing but a bit […]
how to use semicolon, punctuation, semicolon, when to use semicolon
#Inktober2018, Visual Perspectives
Clock #Inktober #Inktober2018
The kind of art I aspire to takes patience. Precision. The hardest part isn’t the sketching. And technique can be learned, practiced, and improved. But patience, particularly with myself, is not my greatest virtue. Tempus fugit. Reference Image
#Inktober2018, Visual Perspectives
Guarded #Inktober #Inktober2018
Thanks to my husband, J. J., for helping me to interpret today’s prompt in a way that wasn’t overly complicated! “It’s harder than it looks, drawing a brain. Easier than crocheting one, but not as easy as it looks.” “Just draw a walnut. That’ll get the idea across.” “You think it’s be any easier drawing […]
#Inktober2018, Visual Perspectives
Whale #Inktober #Inktober2018
I like this one. It’s a peaceful image, isn’t it? I have been craving a swim in the ocean. Maybe not quite deep enough to encounter one of these immense creatures, but I envy this smiling fellow, just a little bit. Reference Image
#Inktober2018, Visual Perspectives
Cruel #Inktober #Inktober2018
It’s Day 11, already!? What’s with these prompts (or is it my brain that’s making them darker and darker)? I don’t like this one, but then, I don’t like cruelty. I apologize for inflicting this on you. Sometimes, it’s all about commitment to the slog… Tomorrow’s prompt is more fun. Just know that I considered […]
bear trap, cookies, cruel, hand, ink, Inktober, Inktober2018
#Inktober2018, Visual Perspectives
Flowing #Inktober #Inktober2018
I don’t know if this is finished. It’s finished, for today, as am I. I live in terror of adding that “one too many strokes,” and haven’t bought a correction pen, yet, but I’ll add one to my Amazon basket tout suite. The prompt was “flowing,” and once they started, the ideas just wouldn’t stop […]
flowing, ink, Inktober, Inktober2018, landscape, river, skull, surreal
#Inktober2018, Visual Perspectives
Precious #Inktober #Inktober2018
Precious. When mere things are valued to the point of obsession, the value is overshadowed by the all-consuming need to grasp, to hoard, to keep others from enjoying them. What is your “precious,” Little Gollum? Does the ring rule them all, or does it just rule you?
#Inktober2018, Visual Perspectives
Star #Inktober #Inktober2018
Day 8. A star, eclipsed. I considered everything from a simple pentagram to a Hollywood star on a dirty sidewalk. But today’s prompt came on the heels of my first dip pen and assorted calligraphy nibs. I wanted to experiment a little with India ink, pens, water, a paintbrush, a shotglass… and that’s when this […]
#Inktober2018, Visual Perspectives
Exhausted #Inktober #Inktober2018
Nothing sweeter than a toddler, exhausted from imaginative play, watched over by her beloved bunny while she sleeps. Reference images: https://www.babycenter.com/ims/2015/04/xiStock_10749141_wide.jpg.pagespeed.ic.DAjjMhB2AL.jpg
child toddler, exhausted, featured, Inktober, Inktober2018, sleeping
#Inktober2018, Visual Perspectives
Drool #Inktober #Inktober Day 6
Just a little something from a nightmare. The prompt was “drool.” I was briefly torn between cute babies and Gila Monsters. Dog drool is more common… And more disgusting. I thought back to a hilarious Tumblr post running around on Facebook about vampires dribbling blood – their food! – down their chins. How sloppy! Hardly […]
dreams, drool, ink, Inktober, Inktober2018, monster nightmare
#Inktober2018, Visual Perspectives
“Chicken” #Inktober #Inktober 2018
Cheeky chicken. Too tough to be called “chicken,” and probably too tough to be roasted. Truly, a chicken for our time. Reference image: https://goo.gl/images/HgBaSZ
#Inktober2018, Uncategorized, Visual Perspectives
Spell #Inktober #Inktober2018
For my son… He’ll know why.
featured, floccinaucinihilipilification, Inktober, Inktober2018, spell
Sunshowers!
The light changes. One minute, it’s gray and rainy. Dusk comes quickly, but for one brief moment, the air shimmers rose gold. Warm. There’s an odd glow. On one side, sunset. Above, a haze of slate blue clouds, faintly tinted pink. But there’s no rainbow… Because I’m standing in it.
rain, summer, sunset, sunshowers, trees
#Inktober2018, Visual Perspectives
Roasted #Inktober #Inktober2018
Sweet Olathe corn… Though the prompt calls for roasted, I usually just rub it with lightly salted butter, roll it in parchment, twist the ends, and nuke it on high for three minutes. A little sea salt, a shrine of pepper, and… Yum. That might explain why this specimen looks a little burnt. I learn […]
corn, corn on the cob, fresh, healthy, Inktober, Inktober2018, roasted
Auspicious Eggs
I really wasn’t planning to have three eggs for breakfast this morning, but as I widened the crack on the second egg, two yolks slipped into the pan. I’ve read that this is generally regarded as good luck. Unless you’re in the UK. There, it means imminent death. It could also mean someone in the […]
#Inktober2018, Visual Perspectives
Tranquil #Inktober #Inktober2018
I had an epiphany this past weekend: Inktober has given me a taste of what novice writers must feel when trying NaNoWriMo for the first or second time. The amazing artwork some people scribble in a matter of minutes is intimidating. I caught myself giving advice to young artists: “Stay AWAY from those ‘meh, this […]
Poisonous #Inktober #Inktober2018
Day 1 prompt: poisonous Reference images: http://www.gallowaywildfoods.com/poisonous-fungi-death-cap/
#Inktober2018, Visual Perspectives
Create-ation, an Extended Sort of Stay-cation
When you’re fed up with the world, and with social media, but it’s still your “playground,” you have to do something. My “something” this month is #Inktober2018 (it is, to art, what NaNoWriMo is to writing). I don’t expect to rise, fully, to the 30 day challenge of #Inktober, nor do I expect too complete a NaNoWriMo […]
Celebrating Banned Books Week 2018
Books expose us to ideas that are not our own, not our friends’, not our neighbors’, not our teachers’ or our ministers’. We are free to see books as sympathetic friends or challenging adversaries. But let’s make sure we’re free to read them, and to make those choices for ourselves.
Get Your Flu Shot!
It’s important enough to public health that most of us can get one for free. It may inconvenience you, it may hurt a little, and it may even provoke a strong immune response that makes you feel like crap for a day. But it protects you, your loved ones, and your community from a deadly disease.
flu shot, health, influenza, injection, pandemic, vaccine, wellness
Blogging & Social Media Tips, Op-Ed
Repurposing Content or Self-Plagiarism?
You could call this post “mental compost,” wherein I throw the mental scraps about reusing content, self-plagiarism, and even propaganda into one post, shake it up, and hope it will fertilize new ideas.
content, copyright, featured, plagiarism, propaganda, repurpose, reuse
I Wasn’t Offended; You Were Being a Jerk
The same folks who decry “political correctness” and clamor for the right to be rude and aggressively offensive are the same ones who whine whenever someone finds them…offensive.
offensive, political correctness, politically correct, words mean things
I Love the Smell of Decomp in the Morning
She had a primrose path, a little wooded section, and far to the back, a compost heap that she turned regularly with a pitchfork. It smelled of earth and death and life, and it made rich soil for her wildflowers. She taught us not to waste things, but we were kids and we forgot.
black thumb, featured, gardening, green thumb, growing, outdoors, plants
Blogging & Social Media Tips, Technical & How-to
How to Review a Blog #BlogCheckup
Now and then, it’s a good idea to step back from the blog and take an objective look at its design and usability. Better yet, ask a few friends to do it!
Here’s a checklist of things to look at when reviewing your blog, or a friend’s.
