nellpix

Ah, country living

I’m hoping this post doesn’t read like a police report and newspaper story all rolled into one (which is sometimes the case if the reporters goes by the press release only instead of making calls but that is another gripe). I was looking for mosaic tiles in my garage Friday night about 8pm. I heardContinue reading “Ah, country living”

Pearls for Mom

I promised stories so here we go….. My parents loved Oahu and decided to invest in a timeshare to be used every other year. They went several times before my father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. His last trip to the island was a month before he passed. My mother then took my sister whenContinue reading “Pearls for Mom”

Writing and Publishing

Well sorry for the clickbait title but this is less about how to write and get published and more about me deciding that I am going to use this platform to publish my memoir writing. I have dozens of short stories about intense experiences that I need to free from my memory bank. Intense toContinue reading “Writing and Publishing”

Freelancing

My schedule is not yet packed with freelance jobs but I certainly wouldn’t mind it. I’ve had some good ones in the last few weeks. I try to answer my phone even when I don’t recognize the number because it always bummed me out when I called a freelancer and could not get in touchContinue reading “Freelancing”

Creative Types

I am a creative. It’s taken me years to own this, although I have always known it. I’m not the sort of person who can be creative on demand, like when you go to a meeting and the corporate types say, “Send us your creative, outside-the-box suggestions”. How can you be creative on the spot?Continue reading “Creative Types”

Saying goodbye to Journalism

It’s been two months since I left my director of photography job at the Statesman and I honestly thought I would have a clean house by now and be out riding my horses. No one ever warns you about all the stuff that comes with taking a VSO like getting new health insurance squared away,Continue reading “Saying goodbye to Journalism”

Austin City Limits Music Fest is a wrap!

I don’t get out to shoot much anymore for the paper unless we are short staffed or it is a special event. I’ve worked as an editor, not on site, for ACL Fest since it began but alway avoided the scene because I hate crowds. In 2018, we needed help shooting it so I reluctantlyContinue reading “Austin City Limits Music Fest is a wrap!”

So what story did I tell?

When I was growing up we spent many vacations on the south gulf coast of Florida in a little town called Bonita Springs. My aunt and uncle had a condo there so my family bought one in the same building a couple floors below theirs. The balcony looked over the gulf and if I swamContinue reading “So what story did I tell?”

Storytelling

Have you ever gone to a storytelling show? You know, like the Moth. People stand on stage and simply tell a story about something that happened in their life. Except it isn’t simple. Telling a story is a craft. You need all the elements that you need for a written story: beginning, middle and endContinue reading “Storytelling”

Why is this so hard?

I am not discussing photography today so feel free to move along. I am going to rant about book publishing and my journey to nowhere. I wrote my post divorce memoir in 2017. I thought it was good to go. I was wrong. I had writer friends and journalist friends edit it. We worked onContinue reading “Why is this so hard?”