Firsts

My “First” Line: 5 Years, Countless Drafts & Thousands of Lines in the Making

Tuesday, January 28, 2014
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First lines of books are a lot like debut novels. Just because they come first in a narrative doesn’t mean they were the first written. There are many authors whose “first novels” are actually the second, third, or tenth they ever wrote. And I won’t bother trying to think of how many lines of Chasing the Sun I actually wrote before scribbling what would eventually become the first line. Suffice…

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FIRST FLOATING LESSONS || How Not to Sink on the River of Life

Friday, September 13, 2013
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Here’s what my friend, S, said: “It’s like you wade into the river, and then suddenly you’re in the current, and then you can’t just step out again. You’re IN. No going back.” The other day, Tuesday to be exact, I drove four hours up I-5 from southern Oregon to Portland. I cried off and on the whole way. I’d attended a beautiful wedding and hung with friends I don’t…

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“Firsts” are like buttholes. Everyone has got one.

Thursday, September 12, 2013
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They are! Seriously, firsts really are like buttholes. There are several reasons why, but let’s keep it clean. To start, everyone must experience them at some time or another. First bounced check, first car impounding, first eviction notice…Ok, I promised to keep it clean! Firsts are hard, scary, and often make you feel like you want to dive under your covers and never come out. But sometimes firsts are exciting,…

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Shaking Off the Nervous Daze of First Days

Tuesday, September 10, 2013
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I’m pretty good about remembering things, but for the life of me I can’t remember anything specific about my first days of school. I suspect it’s because they always felt like I was walking through a foggy cloud of nerves. As a kindergartener, I was entering a new world, learning a new language, and all I remember is my teacher showing me how to tie my shoes. Of course I…

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Wearing the T-shirt or, The Last First Day

Monday, September 9, 2013
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For the every class of Debs, it’s always about firsts. The year ahead of us is filled with them. But we’ve known a few firsts in our day, already. Like that first day—remember when you walked into a situation completely unsure and looking for the exit? Yeah, that’s this week: Our first days. It’s been a while since I’ve had a first day at a new job, or a first…

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INSPIRATION STEW || The Helluva Year That Inspired My First Novel

Friday, September 6, 2013
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Here I am, your Friday girl, and in all honesty, after reading my fellow debs’ posts this week, I felt an acute case of stage fright, because, for one thing, aren’t they awesome? And for another thing, I couldn’t think of the inspiration for KILMOON. So here’s a question, what do my first trip to Ireland and family trauma have in common? They both inspired my novel. In one helluva…

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