forge
Forge has a couple of meanings. The OG definition refers to forming or shaping metal in a fire or furnace by beating and hammering it. A...
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Melissa Westemeier
Oct 162 min read
momentum
Our first frost advisory came last night, causing me to cover a bed of newly transplanted strawberries and the huge geranium I haven't...
63 views10 comments
Melissa Westemeier
Sep 203 min read
time warp
As previously mentioned, writing a story means focusing on past, present, and future simultaneously. I need to think 'big picture' and...
36 views4 comments
Melissa Westemeier
Aug 244 min read
overhaul
Working in an environment with more creature comforts and fewer distractions has been amazing.
74 views0 comments
Melissa Westemeier
Jul 93 min read
shedding
In the olden days, I used to write like mad in the summertime and set aside my stories during the school year. When I quit teaching, it...
89 views4 comments
Melissa Westemeier
Jun 214 min read
writers police academy
All fiction writers are making it up as they go along. Some of us shoot for accuracy in the details, others of us fake it all the way....
36 views2 comments
Melissa Westemeier
Jun 38 min read
french polynesia
I joked to my neighbors that anyone staking out my house in May to learn the family schedule would be deeply frustrated because of travel...
172 views5 comments
Melissa Westemeier
May 112 min read
malice domestic 2024
In writing news, I took a 2 month hiatus from writing murder mysteries to work on a different project. I completed 75,000 words in this...
26 views1 comment
Melissa Westemeier
Apr 42 min read
all clear
(a silly little list of good things) Our driveway, surprisingly, after so much snow. I guess the ground was warm enough to help melt it....
495 views2 comments
Melissa Westemeier
Mar 15 min read
scope
When I feel lost or overwhelmed, sometimes I sit still, refuse to move, and get really depressed. Sometimes I pour all my energy into...
40 views2 comments
Melissa Westemeier
Feb 96 min read
choices
I rarely feature household pets in our annual Christmas letter, but this year I mentioned Rose and Poppy. A week after mailing the...
80 views2 comments
Melissa Westemeier
Dec 23, 20237 min read
plot twist
I left you with an offer on the table for my books, but I forgot to mention how the actual writing of books was going. During the query...
118 views4 comments
Melissa Westemeier
Dec 12, 20237 min read
and more murder
By January, Small and Graff gave me some valuable feedback on my murder mystery and I rolled up my sleeves. Writing requires juggling a...
65 views2 comments
Melissa Westemeier
Dec 1, 20235 min read
murder
I've been cryptic about my writing on this site over the past year, partly because I've been in the dark myself, partly because I've been...
87 views3 comments
Melissa Westemeier
Oct 17, 20235 min read
free-range
Much has been written and much more has been said about parenting styles and while my oldest would beg to differ at times (specifically...
49 views5 comments
Melissa Westemeier
Aug 3, 20233 min read
swim buddy
When I was growing up we had a poster in our basement play area that showed two kids playing and the caption from Ecclesiastes 4:9-10,...
78 views1 comment
Melissa Westemeier
Mar 25, 20233 min read
adjust
My youngest offspring has always needed to move. He runs, jumps, flips, spins, and throws with dexterity and speed. Sport is as essential...
134 views5 comments
Melissa Westemeier
Dec 10, 20223 min read
space
I haven't written much here lately, but trust me, I have been writing. A few times a week I hike at a local nature preserve, a habit that...
97 views4 comments
Melissa Westemeier
Aug 24, 20224 min read
bull(thistles)
It's a sultry 76 degrees this morning and I started a fire in our backyard pit. (Disclosure: I hate fires. When people are all, "Hey,...
71 views2 comments
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