Topics of interest
Stuff I blog about:
AtoZ Blog Challenge blogging Blog hops books coffee DadMemoir Deadwood Writers Disney eBook Facebook family flash fiction games Goodreads haiku Haiku Horizons Happy Planner holiday Instagram Jimmy the Burglar memoir Michigan mommemoir Montclair Write Group Motown Writers Network New Jersey Penn State Photo365 Pittsburgh planner poetry Pokemon GO ROW80 scrapbook social media Starbucks Star Trek subscription box Swarm Timehop Twitter WeekendCoffeeShare writing YouTube Zentangle
Category Archives: Writing
Foursquare leaves an empty square
What app will claim the coveted place on the home screen now? My beloved Foursquare app is going away on December 15. What will I do? I’ve been using this since…oh, since I lived in Michigan a lifetime ago, like2011. … Continue reading
Posted in Movies, Music, Vibrant Creativity, Writing
Tagged Facebook, social media, Swarm
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Six ways to choose a character name
Your character’s name is more important than you think. Names can influence a reader’s approach to your story. What tone do you want to give your piece? What’s the setting? What’s the genre? Interestingly, its all about the consonants. Looking … Continue reading
Posted in Memoir, Writing
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Cruisin’ through life in movies and music
“You have to learn the rules of the game, and then you have to play better than anyone else.”~Albert Einstein, German physicist I’m fortunate that my husband and I share the same interests. I know, weird, right? We like similar … Continue reading
Posted in Haiku and poetry, Movies, Music, Vibrant Creativity
Tagged family, haiku, movies, music
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Coffeeshop Chronicles: Michigan and coffee palaces
I’m looking forward to seeing my old haunts when I travel back to Michigan next week. I lived in Michigan for 11 years, my formative married years, as I like to say. Between Ann Arbor, Detroit and Windsor, Canada, I … Continue reading
Now and Then: What does your laptop say about you?
A recent Montclair Write Group writing prompt got me thinking: Now and Then. I’ve been thinking about the little things in life these days. Nothing deep or philosophical, no life-altering moments where the world comes into crisp focus. I’ve been … Continue reading
Posted in Art & Scrapbooking, Memoir, Writing
Tagged blogging, DadMemoir, family, memoir, Montclair Write Group, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Starbucks, writing, YouTube
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Procrastination continues a creative discovery: Twitter, Vine and PokemonGO
Am I procrastinating or am I nostalgic? I’m a bit of both these days. You’ve experienced this, that one-thing-leads-to-another-thing-leads-to-another-thing-leads action. Today I went looking for Vine videos. My phone memory is almost full–no big surprise with the 6-digit number of … Continue reading
Posted in Movies, Music, Vibrant Creativity, Writing
Tagged Deadwood Writers, Disney, Photo365, Pokemon GO, social media, Swarm, Twitter, Zentangle
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Procrastinating and a thrilling discovery
Here I am, procrastinating publishing work I need to do, and I discovered that I have written my Dragon Story. My Dragon Story is a tale I came up with in high school when I played D&D and devoured Anne … Continue reading
Puppy and cookies and home, oh my!
“Be grateful for the home you have, knowing that at this moment, all you have is all you need.” ~Sarah Ban Breathnach, American writer “Home” means many things to me. My husband and his family. That includes the puppy, Lucky. … Continue reading
Writing the F-Word
“Think like a queen; a queen is not afraid to fail.”~Oprah Winfrey, American entertainer The Letter F challenges writers, and many others, with a curious history of pronunciation, spelling and script. Fun Feisty Fire The other day, I caught the … Continue reading
Haiku for a Thursday morning: Be Kind
Roaming through iPhone photos, I rediscovered my haiku images from the beloved but now defunct app, Ku. Poets of the form joined, posted poems, and we formed a community. The purpose was: write poetry. No bright colors or filters, no … Continue reading
Posted in Haiku and poetry, Writing
Tagged DadMemoir, haiku, Instagram, poetry, social media
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When your cell phone crashes, do you?
I didn’t realize–I mean, really realized–how much of my life is attached to my cellphone until tonight when it locked up. Friday, January 28, 2022: I don’t know about you, but my phone is attached to my hip almost surgically. … Continue reading
Easy Instagram Tips for Day 5 of the 12 Days of Christmas
On the fifth Day of Christmas, the blog I share to you is Jenn’s Trends. Of all the social media outlets, I’m big on the Instagram format as dwhirsch. I’m a scrapbooker. I take an embarrassing number of screenshots daily. … Continue reading
Posted in Publishing Experiences, Writing
Tagged Blog hops, blogging, coffee, Instagram, social media, writing
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Travel journeys for Day 3 of the 12 Days of Christmas
On the third Day of Christmas, the blog I share with you is Pam Portland. Her tagline is “a writer on a journey, without a destination,” but I feel her destination is that wandering. I met Pam through the weekly … Continue reading
Posted in Writing
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How I’m celebrating the real 12 Days of Christmas with you
Did you that the Twelve Days of Christmas begin, not end, on December 25? The Twelve Days begin on December 25–Christmas–and end on January 5–Epiphany, also called Twelfth Night. The 12 days before Christmas, often associated with the holiday song … Continue reading
You will find inspiration in these 13 writing books
It’s been a month now, and this chat still stirs me. Tuesday Twitter #writestuff started the weekly chat with Question 1: What’s your favorite book about writing (fiction or nonfiction?) • Tiffany Arnold mentioned On Writing by Stephen King. • … Continue reading
Posted in Memoir, Writing
Tagged books, memoir, Montclair Write Group, New Jersey, social media, Twitter
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Who sends greeting cards anymore?
Just in time for MegaMeet tomorrow, I wonder: are Get Well cards extinct? MegaMeet starts tomorrow, and I am so excited to be playing with papers and glue sticks in public again I can barely write this. My class schedule … Continue reading
Posted in Art & Scrapbooking, Writing
Tagged Facebook, family, friends, Michigan, scrapbook, social media, writing
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Yes, you are finished writing your book
One of the best phrases a writer can say is: Move On. I don’t mean that in a crazed I-can’t-do-this-I’m-a-terrible-writer discouraged way. Those words are an affirmation of your hard work and progress and completion. “What do you know about … Continue reading
Posted in Memoir, Publishing Experiences, Writing
Tagged memoir, mommemoir, Montclair Write Group, Star Trek
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Reflecting good and bad on #AtoZChallenge 2021
Every year, I tell myself that I will love the annual #AtoZChallenge, and every year, I’m disappointed in something. Daily blogging is hard, which is why I don’t do it. Too often Life happens and writing does not. Can I … Continue reading
Posted in Haiku and poetry, Writing
Tagged AtoZ Blog Challenge, Blog hops, coffee, haiku, Instagram, poetry, Pokemon GO, Twitter, writing
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Your recycling is your memoir #AtoZChallenge
Your recycling is a snapshot into your life. Tuesday was recycling night, “Brown Goods (Paper/Cardboard)” per the township calendar. Tuesday, I took a nighttime neighborhood walk in the easy spring air. Intriguing items put out for pickup: – Weight Watchers … Continue reading
Posted in Haiku and poetry, Memoir, Writing
Tagged AtoZ Blog Challenge, Blog hops, haiku, New Jersey, writing
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eXceptionally difficult letter, that X – #AtoZChallenge
Next to the letter Q, X is an intimidating letter. X is strong. X crosses out. X marks the spot. X blocks entrances. X crisscrosses threads that hold items together. X adds hope through fingers and toes. X begins Xe: … Continue reading
Posted in Haiku and poetry, Writing
Tagged AtoZ Blog Challenge, Blog hops, haiku, poetry, writing
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