04 April 2026 - Poetic Voice - National Poetry Month

 

Most writers have delved into writing poetry. This usually began in their youth and teens. When writing stories came along, most writers set poetry aside or kept the poetic urge, and subsequent poems, to themselves. After all, stories were far more fun to write.

Yet, it is the poetic whisper, the cadence and rhythms of the words in sentences, and the focus on brevity that can create a singularly profound image in the mind of the beholder—the reader of fiction.

Adding or establishing some wonder, a bit of awe, or a surprising quirkiness to stories can be done as simply as reading poetry. Doing so allows the subconscious to absorb phrasing, rhythms, and instant-imagery providing future opportunities to create surprises for you, and your readers.

This month is National Poetry Month. Visit your local library and pick out a book of poems. Read and listen with a keen inner ear and you may be pleasantly surprised at the result in your next story.

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03 March 2026 - Days in a Daze

      I was aghast when I discovered that I hadn't published a February post.

It would be easy to blame the omission on the long winter's extremely cold weather. Or the depressingly short days and long, dark nights. Or even blame it on the imminent dread that Punxsutawney Phil would predict six more weeks of continued, bitter winter.

Truth be told, I don't know why I forgot to post to this blog on February 1st. 

But this is March 1st. A new month. Time for a new topic to be posted.

Winter has curmudgeonly relented enough to give above freezing days with the sunshine delightfully radiating through my windows. Both boost and invigorate my spirits.

The sun has even managed to burn off the deep snow. Only the exposed ground of dead grass and crushed, wet leaves is not a pleasant view. It's a stark reminder that spring isn't here yet.

If you've managed to wade through the above paragraphs, you might wonder what all this expounding on weather has to do with writing or the lack of writing.

Absolutely everything.

You see weather affects mood, and—

    Mood affects the impulse to create, and—

    As if it were bipolar, the impulse to create runs from fickle nonexistence to manic effervescence.

The winter's frigid days has me bundling up—a stocking cap, two acrylic-wool sweaters (one with a high turtleneck collar), open-fingered mittens, fleece-lined pants, and a blanket-fleece lap robe over my knees. The clothing enables me to sit in front of my computer  to plod away at the writing and the other activities of being a member of varied organizations (secretary, newsletter editor, sender of notices of meetings, blogger, etc.) At such times, an Eskimo has more dexterity than I. 

    The furnace, of course, blasted out hot air to keep the house temperature at sixty-seven degrees warm (it always feels like thirty-two degrees).

The urge, in such a state of overdress is to leave the office nook, get under the electric blanket (set it on high heat), and sip something hot. Which means my body's survival needs work to override my creative need for expression. 

In case you've never seen me post it, I'll repeat the fact that logic always trumps creativity.

Thinking positive, that spring will come or that the days are lengthening and warming, doesn't help. After all, the ground is currently frozen solid, and today's wind blasts its arctic chill.

And yet, at the corner of my walkway, hope raises its green tips. The snowdrops, the first flowers of spring, defy the elements. Today, I ventured outside and checked for them. Joy! Their tiny green leaves have pierced the soil half an inch. And deep between the shoots are white flower buds. It will be days, many days, before they open, but they will open.

Each bud also means the dreary mood of winter yields to the blossoming joy that warms the fingers over the keyboard. The imagination perks up, as if signaled to go ahead and create a new story. Creativity-life renews.

Does spring and sunshine invigorate your writing mood?

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2026 - January - Celebrations

 

Happy New Year!

The new year 2026 is here and, typically, it's a time to make resolutions to better ourselves, our lives, our jobs, our families, and our writing.

But the individual days of January also offer other reasons to celebrate. As a writer, I'm drawn to the following January days of celebration:

January 1 — Copyright Law Day 

January 2 — National Motivation and Inspiration Day

     — National Science Fiction Day

January 3 — J.R.R. Tolkien Day

January 4 — National CanDo Day 

January 5 — National Screenwriters Day

January 6 — National Take a Poet to Lunch Day

January 7 — I Am a Mentor Day

January 8 — International Typing Day

       — World Literary Day

January 9 — Word Nerd Day

       — Poetry at Work Day

January 10 — National Peculiar People Day

— Quitters Day

January 11 — World Sketchnote Day

January 12 — Stick to Your New Year’s Resolution Day

— Work Harder Day

January 13 — Make Your Dreams Come True Day

— National Clean Your Desk Day

— Poetry Break Day

January 14 — Poetry at Work Day 

— Printing Ink Day

— World Logic Day

January 15 — Wikipedia Day

January 16 — Appreciate a Dragon Day

— Book Publishers Day

— National Nothing Day

January 17 — Ditch New Year’s Resolutions Day

— International We Are Not Broken Day

January 18 — National Gourmet Coffee Day 

— National Use Your Gift Card Day 

— Maintenance Day

— Thesaurus Day

— Winnie the Pooh Day

January 19 — Good Memory Day

January 20 — Blue Monday 

— Civil Rights Day 

— Elementary School Teacher Day 

— National Coffee Break Day

— Take A Walk Outdoors Day 

January 21 — One-Liners Day 

— Thank Your Mentor Day

January 22 — Library Shelfie Day

January 23 — National Handwriting Day (which coincides with John Hancock’s Birthday)

January 24 — “Just Do It” Day 

— International Day of Education 

— Talk Like a Grizzled Prospector Day 

January 25 — National Irish Coffee Day

January 26 — Toad Hollow Day of Encouragement 

January 27 — Better Business Communication Day 

— National Chocolate Cake Day

January 28 — Christa McAuliffe Day

  — National Plan for Vacation Day 

— Speak Up and Succeed Day

January 29 — Curmudgeons Day

— Freethinkers Day

January 30 — National Escape Day

January 31 — Backwards Day 

— Hell is Freezing Over Day

— Inspire Your Heart with the Arts Day

— Scotch Tape Day

What day especially intrigues you? 

What days will you check off and celebrate?

Write on!

Catherine E. McLean

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December 2025 - 12 Quotes to Ponder

 

For the past eleven months, this blog focused on writer-author quotes. So it seems only fitting to end the year with twelve  writing quotes. Enjoy or ponder  –  better yet, think and write, write, write! 

● The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt. – Sylvia Plath

● A true piece of writing is a dangerous thing, it can change your life. – Tobias Wolff

● Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. – Benjamin Franklin

● You fail only if you stop writing. – Ray Bradbury

● A word after a word after a word is power. – Margaret Atwood

● Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven on by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand. – George Orwell

● The writing process is very much like being in a dark tunnel, and you don't really know what you will end up with until you have created it. – Emilie Haines

● Writing is easy. All you have to do is cross out the wrong words. – Mark Twain

● Writing is a skill, not a talent, and this difference is important because a skill can be improved by practice. – Robert Stacy McCain

● You can't blame a writer for what the characters say. – Truman Capote

● Write a short story every week. It's not possible to write 52 bad short stories in a row. – Ray Bradbury 

● There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you. – Maya Angelou

If you have a favorite writing quote, please share it in the comments.

I wish you the Happies of Holidays! 

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11 November 2025 - Choices

"For any given idea, there exists a variety of technically and grammatically correct word combinations that can be used to communicate it. But each word combination alters the idea. It is the form the writer chooses, the words he picks out, that determines the content of his work, what he really says, and whether or not the writing works . . . Writing that works is also writing that assigns a job to every word in a sentence. Every word, every sentence, every paragraph must be doing some work or it should be fired." — Gary Provost -  MAKING YOUR WORDS WORK

I chose this long quote because it's important to pay attention to every word written. 

What a lot of writers don't realize is that every word has a precise meaning or imagery, or both. For example, hate is not the same thing as ire. Rage is not the same as pique. Boiling isn't the same thing as tepid.

In other words, there are many shades of meaning in-between.

When drafting a work, it's common to grab the first words that come to mind. In the revision phase, individual words should be scrutinized and more vivid or correct words swapped in.

No doubt about it—creating a story well written and well told depends on word choices. So, strive to get the words right. Your reader will appreciate it.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving.

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