Happy May! This week I sited my first oriole and hummingbird. Like monarch butterflies, they survived a treacherous, nearly impossible journey. This proves to me nature is magic.

Last Saturday, I learned how writing is and isn’t magic. At AWP I won a free class sponsored by the Sarah Lawrence College Writing institute. I participated in Jimin Han’s class: “Turning Family Gossip into Short Stories and Novels”. The class was wonderful. We all enjoyed the prompts and shared our writing.

Ms. Han convinced me writing is getting words down on paper and then enjoying the process—the magic. She handed us writing tips, encouraged us, and shared the gold nuggets she learned when writing, editing, and publishing her novels.

I highly recommend the Sarah Lawrence College Writing institute but also recommend brewing a cup of coffee, sitting by a window, and watching the orioles, hummingbirds, and monarchs. If those tiny creatures can survive a treacherous journey every year, no doubt, I can—and will—write.

Hi everyone, here’s a brief outline of my experience at AWP (Association of Writing Programs) last week. It was wonderful. The support, encouragement, and inspiration I received will not surprise any of you. We all know the power of writing communities.

The gardens have reached their peak. Fall is peeking around the corner.

Chaos or beauty?

There are many ways for new writers to get published. Explore opinion articles. Read and re-read the publishers’ directions and follow every step. Vine Leaves Press ‘SPILL IT!’ column is one opportunity. Oh, and don’t forget to enjoy the wonderful process.

Resources, so many (too many) resources…

In the last year, writing communities have transformed me. They’ve encouraged me, no, required me to reconsider my approach to writing. I have learned…