Time for another tech trick for writers. Where does your character live? What does their house, apartment, or room look like? There are lots of ways to get interior design ideas from Pinterest or Wayfair or Houzz. But what about VRBO? VRBO is an app that lets you look at the interior of a house… Read more »
Inspiration
What would be your Color of the Year?
Every year, Pantone selects a Color of the Year. For 2022, the color is Very Peri. Here’s an image from the Pantone website: I love the idea of a color of the year. I love the meaning that Pantone has ascribed to the color- joy, creativity, courage, and imagination. We all need those qualities every… Read more »
All About Puppies
We are a dog family. We have a schnoodle and love puppies. At a visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC, this spare brush painting from Japan engaged me on a deep emotional level. I loved it. I wanted to jump right into the scene. Puppies are an excellent subject for artistic masterpieces…. Read more »
Tech Tricks for Writers: Autocorrect
Here’s a fun tech trick for writers. Have you ever gotten really frustrated with autocorrect? Of course you have. But sometimes it offers genius moments. Unexpected combinations of words. Creative interpretations our logical brains would never produce. Hilariously inappropriate statements. Just recently I suggested that my husband get a cough drop but autocorrect suggested a… Read more »
First Birds of 2022
I love birding. I love being out in nature, listening to bird song, spotting a feathered friend in the leaves and branches. I love keeping track of birds from year to year. January 1 is so exciting because I get to count familiar birds all over again! I’ve some wonderful birding moments this year and… Read more »
Is #PitMad Worth It?
Is #PitMad worth it? Did you have any luck at the most recent #PitMad? I think a lot of people think that unless they get a book contract sent via DM that day, they failed. But I say you need a broad definition of success. Here’s how it worked for me, and why I think… Read more »
Help for Writers who are Parents and Parents who are Writers
In 2016, I was picking my kids up from art camp when I received a phone call from a New York phone number. Since this was the summer of 2016 (and the election had not yet happened) I was just still a naive, optimistic person. I answered the phone. It turns out I had won… Read more »
Fall Migration 2021 Has Begun!
It’s so thrilling to know the birds are on their way south! Follow along with the raptor migration over Hawk Mountain here! If you can get up early and look and listen in your own backyard, it’s worth it. Get real time bird migration maps at BirdCast!
Finding a Mentor or Inspiration – Alhazen and Leonardo da Vinci
When I wrote my book The Science and Technology of Leonardo da Vinci, one of the things that really captivated me was how Leonardo learned a lot from an early scholar and scientist, Alhazen. I’d never heard of Alhazen before, but he did a lot of exciting work. It turns out Alhazen is the Latinized… Read more »
What’s the name for learning something connected to your main topic?
What’s the word for when you’re learning about one topic, you need to learn about several other things to help you understand the main topic? I’m learning a lot about birding. This means I also have to learn the names of local trees and plants so I can better understand what birds are in a… Read more »