A Portly Bard

Writing More Than Blog Posts!??!

This week’s blog post will be a bit delayed due to a conflict with my husband’s work schedule, so I encourage anyone reading this to check out my (incredibly modest/small) poetry page here! I’m also working on drafting a serial novel to be exclusively published through this site, as well as some short stories/novellas comingContinue reading “Writing More Than Blog Posts!??!”

Where Is My Mind; or, Mindfulness in Writing

One of my favorite things to do for mental stimulation or taking a break is “falling down holes”. My friends and I use this phrase to specifically reference instances when we indulge our impulses while perusing internet search engine results or sifting through the algorithms on social media sites. I think Freud would be proud;Continue reading “Where Is My Mind; or, Mindfulness in Writing”

U; or, My Struggle With Being Goal-Oriented

I absolutely love puzzles. Hard stop. They have been one of my favorite activities for years and I don’t “Squirrel!” harder than when a puzzle is partially finished and sitting on a table, alone and begging to be made whole. I get a little buzz every time I match each piece to another or theContinue reading “U; or, My Struggle With Being Goal-Oriented”

Underwood; or, 7 Ideas to Stoke Creativity During a Dry Spell

As I’ve mentioned before, I suffered a very long time with writer’s block; this didn’t mean that there was a lack of creative flow or failure to find inspiration for me. I talk about it in my first blog post briefly, but I used to funnel my drive for storytelling through running Dungeons & DragonsContinue reading “Underwood; or, 7 Ideas to Stoke Creativity During a Dry Spell”

Separate Ways (Worlds Apart); or, Three Ways Your Character Can Inform Your World

One of my favorite things about NaNoWriMo is the “cooler” talk that spawns as the November 1st start date looms on the horizon; the theory crafting, planning vs. pantsing vs. plantsing, and the inevitable doubt that completion is even possible. Interestingly, I’ve met many people who have so much confidence in creating layered, deep charactersContinue reading “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart); or, Three Ways Your Character Can Inform Your World”

Just; or, You Do It To Yourself

I turn 35 years old in 15 days. I’ve worked incredibly hard since I was at least 16 years old, never going more than a month or so without a job (or full-time school, or both); in all this time, I rarely took more than a long weekend for a “break”. Vacations were something thatContinue reading “Just; or, You Do It To Yourself”

Voyager; or, The Trips I Take When I Take No Trips

It’s funny; I absolutely hate to leave my house. COVID-19 hit, everyone and their mother completely lost their mind because hair care, and socializing and now-that-they-are-being-told-they-can’t-leave-they-don’t-want-to-stay. There is so much to be frightened and stressed over with this pandemic; but, if I’m being honest with myself, staying home is not even a blip on myContinue reading “Voyager; or, The Trips I Take When I Take No Trips”

The First Post; or, the bEgInNiNg Of A jOuRnEy

Okay, I have to admit: I have no idea what to do with an actual blog. Nope, not a clue. I opened my LiveJournal back in 2003 when I graduated high school as a way of moving from the tried and true method of handwritten diary entries of adolescent angst to the most secure (yet,Continue reading “The First Post; or, the bEgInNiNg Of A jOuRnEy”