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- About CathyI hail from: I was raised in Olathe, KS. I am a Kansan by nature–stubborn, loyal, independent. I now consider Virginia my home and think I have adapted well to the Southern way of life (although I’ll never be a good cook!) My family: Children, two dogs, a cat, and two horses. They keep me busy, busy, busy. My favorite quote: From Debbie Macomber, “Attitude is the key . . . each one of us is as successful as we make up our minds to be.” My most embarrassing moment: I have many. I’m gullible. If you have a good practical joke, I’m the one to play it on. I would dress for a costume party as: Wanda, the Good Witch. O to be perpetually pleasant! But notice that she didn’t put up with any nonsense from the Munchkins. The most dangerous thing I have done: Marry a man I’d known less than a month. He made me laugh (and looked good in uniform). Kevin passed away almost twenty-five years to date he asked me to marry him. It was a great marriage. We both enjoyed a good laugh and I respected his compassion and generosity of spirit, two qualities…
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Don’t Over Think, Don’t Doubt—Create
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I’m taking a beginning art course. I am not much of an artist and this is definitely moving me out of my comfort zone. The other night in class, we were asked to draw a still life. It was of a Styrofoam ball and crumpled paper. The idea was that we cover the drawing pad with charcoal and then erase, …
Read MoreBest of Intentions? Making Things Happen
I just purchased new pans. Tuesday Morning was having a sale. I did some research, picked them up for a good price, and—hoo boy. Now that I have pans, I MUST cook, right? Or am I once more being caught up in my best intentions? This is a dangerous question for me. I have more visions of what I want to …
Read MoreStaying Commercial: What I Learned from Monet
This week I took in the Monet exhibit at the Kimball Museum in Fort Worth. The show covered Monet’s later years when he was established, wealthy from his art . . . and going out of style. His paintings weren’t selling. The demand was for abstract art. And this exhibit was of one unsold vibrant, bold painting a fter another. …
Read MoreGrief and the Writer
We grieve over many things in our lives: Loss of loved ones through death or divorce, loss of opportunities, loss of health, of youth, of hope . . . Greif is dangerous ground for a writer. We spend too much time in our heads thinking “what if?” All our emotions gather there as well. In fact, as storytellers, emotions …
Read MoreThree Things I Learned from Kathryn Falk, Lady Barrow and Founder of RT Magazine
May 18, 2018 What a great date, especially for big changes! The rumors are true. This will be the last RT Booklovers’ Convention. Kathryn Falk will go on to many other things. The woman has a range of interests and big ideas are always percolating away inside her. Tonight, I’ve been asked to speak on what Kathryn has …
Read MoreOnce More with Gusto—Organizing the Writer
I’m desperate to get myself organized. Yes, this stuff is usually reserved for January and a new year but I’m preparing to move from my wonderful Richmond to Austin. Big changes are coming. (I’ll share more info as I go along) and I know if I don’t reset my goals and focus, I will get nothing done over these next …
Read MoreLessons I’ve Learned Along the Way
I started seriously writing in 1991. This coming May 2016, I will have been at this profession for twenty-five years. That’s a good milestone. So, here are a few things I’ve learned over the years. I’ll add more as I consider them: No one will believe in you if you don’t believe in yourself. Few of us are asked …
Read MoreAlan Alda, Dead Cats, and Making Story Matter
I heard Alan Alda speak last Saturday night. He was charming and fun. He grew up in Vaudeville and knows how to tell a story. What I wasn’t expecting was a bit of plot development insight. Referring to Aristotle’s observation that a story has “a beginning, a middle, and an end,” he observed that so does a dead cat. …
Read MoreMaxwell’s Thoughts About Endings—
I received a request for general rules on how to end a good, loving story. Or any story for that matter. Although I HATE writing rules, here are my thoughts. Good endings wrap up loose ends. All questions should be answered. When I start your book, you and I have a pact: I’ll read to the end; you’ll tie …
Read MoreBook Report: CAN’T WE TALK ABOUT SOMETHING MORE PLEASANT? “A Memoir “ by Roz Chast
I have an aged parent. I’ve also been losing aged parents that I love very much for the past several years. Worse: I’m turning into an aged parent, and I don’t know how I feel about that. My goal is to live my life fully—but, you know, I’m slowing down. Fortunately my sense of …
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