I recently had to say goodbye to my dog, Beebs. She was almost 15 and had been sick on and off for weeks. She couldn’t walk well, I often had to hold her as she peed, and she had been pooping in the house for over a year. Her hair was falling out, she wouldn’t… Read More Eulogy for Beebs, the best damned dog in the world
I was having a bit of a bad day, you see. My stomach hurt and the cat threw up a hairball on my pillow and there was nothing good to eat for lunch. Then, while browsing Facebook (Facebook is the most splendid way of avoiding writing one’s novel), I discovered that it was Robert Olen Butler’s… Read More OMG! It’s Robert Olen Butler’s birthday (two days’ late)
In the spirit of gratitude as we look forward to Thanksgiving, here’s a popular post on giving back, first published in 2009, by author Cinthia Ritchie. Growing up, I read all the time. I read while riding my horse and when I was supposed to be feeding the calves. I read during baling harvest and… Read More Giving thanks (to the writers you love)
Ever since I got my Kindle (and just because I love my Kindle doesn’t mean I love Amazon or approve of their tactics in the whole Hachette/Amazon fiasco, which was recently resolved but not after Amazon “hijacked” my book Dolls Behaving Badly for close to a year), I’ve been happily downloading books that I wouldn’t have… Read More What I’m reading (and Barbie, with zits)
Why is it easier to write while away from home? Is it because, once out of your normal environment, you feel free of burdens, free of constraints, free of all of those nagging doubts and insecurities that settle down wherever you call home? Last week I left Anchorage and flew to my sister’s in Philly, where I met my… Read More Writing while away from home
Well, my project to write each day of September was a big, fat failure. Oh, I wrote, I just didn’t write my stuff. I wrote journalism stories and briefs and obituaries. Which is still writing, still honing the craft. But it didn’t cause me to ponder or question or wonder or dig down deep inside of myself,… Read More Writing fail, and big Alaska photo drop
I know, I know: You’re all sitting at the edge of your seats wondering how my Write Every Day For a Month pledge is coming along. I’m happy to say that it started with stunning optimism. Bright and early on the morning of Sept. 1, I jumped out of bed, ate a hearty breakfast, sat down… Read More Day three: Alaska beach walk
I work as a journalist, for those of you don’t know. I edit and write a weekly newspaper for a small, bedroom community outside of Anchorage, Alaska. I enjoy my job, sometimes, though the workload is intense and the hours are long and the attention to detail does little to suit my nature. This job naturally requires that I write.… Read More Writing, even if it’s not the “right” writing
I love reading blogs. It’s my biggest guilty pleasure. I’m not much for Facebook and while I do love Twitter, my heart lies with blogs. Following other people’s lives feels slightly voyeuristic, much like luxuriating inside a long novel. You begin to know people, and care about them, even though you’ve never met. You build relationships. I “met” Eliza… Read More An unlikely agent success story
It was dark, and there was no sound, no smell. When I opened my eyes all I could see were silver bubbles escaping from my mouth. It was about 9 p.m. and I was swimming across DeLong Lake on a windy evening, the sky still light but overcast, the temperature, which had been close to… Read More That scary void
Cinthia Ritchie 