Honest Scrap (The Writing Edition)

I recently received the Honest Scrap Award (writing edition) from Jemi Fraser. Thanks Jemi! I love this award because I don’t think there is anything harder than writing.



As a recipient, I’m supposed to tell you ten things about my reading and writing life and then pass the award on to seven other writers. I’ve ignored rules in the past. But here we go…

1. I first realized I had a way with words when I was in college and a classmate asked me to compose a letter for her disputing an unjust decision, telling me, “You have a way with words.”

2. I used to read comic books and I read every Zane Grey book in the library.

3. I like to read the dictionary.

4. I know how to milk a cow and have taught a calf to drink out of a pail with my fingers in its mouth. (I just had to throw that in.)

5. I do most of my writing on my laptop but I have to print out a page before I can see what needs to be changed. Something about seeing the words on paper slips the editing process into gear. It’s like the saying . . . How do I know what I think until I see what I say?

6. I and my siblings grew up without television but had a first rate collection of World Book Encyclopedias, library cards, two daily newspapers, and a bookmobile. (Though all we really wanted was a television!)

7. I once wrote an Ekphrastic poem for a poetry class, (a poem based on a painting) and a sestina (nightmare!) in the same week.

8. I've been known to read and edit my work while driving.

9. I often get up in the middle of the night to write.

10. I believe you can ignore the rules as long as you first know how to observe them.


So without further fanfare, I would like to pass this on to (drumroll...) Charlie at Approaching Utopia , Travener at The Big Litowski, Amy at She Writes Here Now, and to Paperback Writer, who are four very scrappy writers. Check out their blogs and you'll see what I mean.

I reserve the right to pass Honest Scrap on to three other writers in another post. (See #10) And thanks again, Jemi, for this honor.