Organization is the key to any story and one way I organize my material is by giving a story some type of title before I actually know what the title is going to be. I’m using my character’s name, Mishon, as a reference point. This means whenever I take notes, I’ll use Mishon as the [...]
I took time off, time away, to figure out exactly what I wanted this blog to do for me, realizing that some of my earlier posts don’t fit. But first and foremost, I am a writer who loves to tell a story. Designing dialogue is quite delightful; it is in that moment of a character’s [...]
There is no love lost in leaving behind New York State winters with the cold, harsh, long—very long—depressing days that can begin as early as October and end as late as May. Despite the distance from those lake effect snows, Philadelphia has had more snow than Buffalo and Syracuse, New York. With a record breaking [...]
For the love of trees, I tip my hat to this man: 101-year-old Frank Knight. He took care of an elm tree, Herbie, for over half a century. Carefully pruning away fungus and ridding the tree of pests, he helped Herbie fight against Dutch elm disease 14 different times which initially sickened the tree in [...]
That’s what this weather is: a huge understatement. It’s Friday, December 11th with bone chilling cold and a stinging wind. The memory of my roots smacks in my face as the harsh cold pushes through me and licks my heels. The frosty wind makes me shed tears with no effort on my part. The only [...]
It’s the time of year when people get sick. Running noses, nasal stuffiness and chest congestion are the common symptoms of becoming sick during this time of year when the temperature plunges and November rains come pouring in. Many people want the quick fix to relieve symptoms that deplete our energies, so they run to [...]
It is the time of year to be merry and full of cheer. It is also the time of year for depression to hit. It is also the time of year to be broke. I think I’m all of the above rolled into one. I’m human and I don’t think I’m any different from many [...]
The house was erected with basic colors and amenities: red, yellow, white, black and blue and running water, a functioning toilet and shower. It was the simplest of houses made out of the simplest of toys. Like the old commercials toted: “A child’s pride is the best thing a toy can build,” so was the [...]
As the state of Pennsylvania scrambles to find new sources of revenue to balance the state budget, a proposed arts tax has come into play. The proposed arts tax would add an additional 8 percent to the cost of tickets for museums, plays, zoos and historical parks in Philadelphia and 6 percent for the rest of the [...]
America can boast it is the leader for the incarcerated. Our prison system is on the stock exchange. It’s not necessarily the prison system, but the companies that run them. Some companies explicitly, others implicitly while companies have gone through buy outs, mergers and name changes. America is not the lone profiteer. Europe is profiting, [...]
