Photos – Joan Hall

Hey, Readers. It’s been a rather strange week. On Monday, my husband, brother, and I had to make a trip to the Dallas/Fort Worth area for a funeral. We left my brother’s house at 7:00, got to the outskirts of Dallas (about 80 miles) in an hour and fifteen minutes. From there it took another 1.25 hours to travel another 35-40 miles. Five lanes of freeway and bumper to bumper traffic.

Can I say I’m glad I don’t have to drive in that every day? Funny thing, a couple of weeks ago, I talked about Dallas rush hour in a post for Story Empire. Never dreamed I’d be in the middle of that mess so soon.

Needless to say, I came home exhausted and I’ve spent much of the week playing catch up. But on the drive home, I did capture a photo of some wispy white clouds.

Tomorrow is leap day, so take advantage to enjoy the extra day this year. And now, it’s time for this week’s links:

On this site:

Lizzie Borden: Mystery Monday

On Story Empire:

What is Your Style of Learning – Mae Clair
Using the Five Senses: Smell – Me
Dual Use of Meta Data: Reader Guides – P. H. Solomon

On Other Sites:

How to Have Shocking Coffee With Your Lead Character – Kill Zone
5 Common Mental Traps That Stand Between You and Writing Success – Anne R. Allen
How to Rewrite Your Whole Darn Book – Kill Zone
5 Mistakes to Avoid if You Want to Finish Your Book – Writers Helping Writers
Think Small to Make Big Scenes Work – Kill Zone
Fictional Character Profile Template – Just Publishing
How Pitching a Novel is Like Being in the Secret Service – A Writer’s Path
Do Your Stories Have Deeper Meanings – Jami Gold
The Dangers of Chasing the Blockbuster Novel Dream – Fiction University
Social Media Meltdown: Tackling Burnout (for Writers) – Writer Unboxed
5 Steps To Becoming A Superstar Self Editor – Writers in The Storm

Hey, everyone. It’s Friday and I’m glad to be wrapping up the week with you.

A few years ago, I was in one of those, “I want to write but the words won’t come,” stages. Getting away from the house often helps, so I decided to take a Saturday morning drive and ended up at one of the numerous nearby country cemeteries.

Naturally, I snapped a few photos. Nothing particularly spooky about this one. Even with the unmarked graves that lie beneath piles of rocks. Or the old, rusting fence that surrounds another one. It was a bright, clear morning when everything in the world seemed cheerful.

But a few adjustments to the color and the shading makes the atmosphere completely different.