Blog Archives - From the Write Side

September and the Relentless March of Time

September always makes me think about Bilbo Baggins and the dwarves setting off on an adventure, his furry hobbit feet and their sturdy dwarf ones whispering through the long grasses of the fields bordering the Shire. Perhaps it's because the prairie beyond our home waves at me each morning, the hummingbirds come to feed, and the app on my phone records the slowly departing birdsong that has sustained me throughout the lovely summer days. There is a hint of mystery in the lessening of daylight, [...]

By irvinjgdm|2023-08-31T16:20:26+00:00August 31st, 2023|Blog|0 Comments

August Reverie

This is my August reverie... There is never a perfect time to ponder one's direction in life. After all, those chores won't do themselves. The workload won't ease up. The needs, wants, demands, and fears of the world conspire to pull us from contemplation into action. But on a hot summer night when the sky glows with sunset smiles and the fireflies ease from their day nests to grace the darkness and the bullfrog on the edge of the pond announces his dominance, I find [...]

By irvinjgdm|2023-07-31T16:09:49+00:00July 31st, 2023|Blog|0 Comments

A Midsummer’s Madness

Oh, how quickly the days speed by! It's already July and I'm writing like crazy...two novels completed, another in the R and D stage. Yes, writers do research and development, we just don't refer to it as such! Had the opportunity to visit the Ohio History Center to read up on Quakers in southern Ohio and their involvement with the Underground Railroad movement in the first half of the nineteenth century. What a fascinating deep dive into that period. I learned so much and still [...]

By irvinjgdm|2023-06-30T17:58:20+00:00June 30th, 2023|Blog|0 Comments

Find Your Summer Retreat

Because it's summer... Because you deserve to find joy... Because the world is truly "too much with us" these days... Find a place where you can retreat from the stress, pressure, cares, sorrows, a place where you feel your own life thrumming through your body. Savor the land and the sky, the mountains and the water. Inhale the fragrance of lilac, rose, and new-mown grass. Open every sense to the pleasure of residing in the moment and allow that peace to heal, if only for [...]

By irvinjgdm|2023-05-31T16:34:13+00:00May 31st, 2023|Blog|0 Comments

Are You a Word Warrior?

The arrival of May signals a change in the tempo of growing things. The garden beds warm, seeds germinate, the pond and prairie hum with exuberant life. A new set of goslings in the neighborhood delight with their fuzzy bodies as they follow their tribe across the lawns and into the water. While the young ones practice swimming, their parents, ever vigilant, remain on guard to protest the incursion of dogs off leash, eager to prove their hunting skills, or fend off hawks that swoop [...]

By irvinjgdm|2023-04-30T17:33:46+00:00April 30th, 2023|Blog|0 Comments

If It’s Spring, It’s Time to Clean…

Spring cleaning...a chore or a pleasure? A time to restore or a time to clear out the old nest and weave a new one? The birds frequenting my backyard have no trouble doing the work, but we humans often need a nudge. Over the past two months, I've evaluated the incredible accumulation of 'stuff' in our drawers and closets, weighing what I have to have and what I can live without. Only makes sense to do the same with the clutter of my writing life. [...]

By irvinjgdm|2023-03-31T17:26:34+00:00March 31st, 2023|Blog|0 Comments

Marching Orders

You ever have one of those days when you swear the universe is sending smoke signals but you just can't read them? Yeah. I had one yesterday, its residue strong enough to push me to write about it today. I was preparing to leave for an evening of non-fiction readings by two local authors at the newest event sponsored by the Springboro Historical Society -- Reading Between the Wines -- where I serve as facilitator. I have the honor of introducing the readers for the [...]

By irvinjgdm|2023-03-01T19:44:45+00:00March 1st, 2023|Blog|0 Comments

Resetting the Calendar

No one is happier than me to see 2022 disappear in the rearview mirror. I'm hoping that the new year brings more opportunities to share my writing, to create new stories, to see new places, and to welcome new friends into my life. To accomplish these goals, I first need to cleanse my workspace -- exterior and interior - of the accumulated baggage from the past twelve months. Therefore, I'm making a list... 1. Redo all sites and passwords* 2. Clean out all file folders [...]

By irvinjgdm|2022-12-31T15:28:46+00:00December 31st, 2022|Blog|0 Comments

December Girls

December girls stand arrow-straight, wear winter white, carmine and black, cool colors for red-hot thinkers, the doers in the darkest part of the year's final gasp. December girls love with fierce ambition and deep commitment, spend themselves on soul causes. They draw Sagittarian bows, release the fletched and sacred darts toward future fate not yet revealed, set their sights on a higher plane and soar, unsullied into the coming year. ~~~ May you join this December girl in welcoming a new year, new ventures, and [...]

By irvinjgdm|2022-11-30T18:35:56+00:00November 30th, 2022|Blog|0 Comments

November and Politics: Is it possible to do better?

November may be a dreary month, but I always feel energized by the essay opportunities it provides. After all, in the drabbest month, making a list of things to be grateful for lifts spirits. There is also the voting thing, which has become fraught with dissension and shows no sign of shifting back to the middle ground. And I serve as a poll worker, so training, which is now obligatory for volunteers in Ohio, demonstrates that even in a non-partisan environment, tension reveals itself. Several [...]

By irvinjgdm|2022-11-02T01:17:57+00:00October 31st, 2022|Blog, Uncategorized|0 Comments