Welcome to my blog titled ‘Five Things’ where you can expect just that - five random musings or reflections from the previous week or so. I’ll also share a quote I find meaningful as a point of focus for the week. For a photo gallery of our life on the road, our pets, and miscellaneous things I find interesting, you can follow me on Instagram @tabithalord.
So here are this week’s five things, starting with the quote of the week…
“As much as we need a prosperous economy, we also need a prosperity of kindness and decency.” - Caroline Kennedy
School starts this week! I actually thought classes started after Labor Day, but nope, tomorrow. I’m excited to get started, though. In addition to writing my thesis, we’ll be intensively studying short fiction in a class aptly titled ‘Short Forms.’ There’s a pretty impressive reading list, and we’ll have to write four short fiction pieces to workshop with the group. I’ve published a good number of short stories in anthologies, magazines, and on podcasts, so this is something I really enjoy for a few reasons. First, short stories take less time to write than novels. This may seem obvious, but as writers, we’re in it for the long game. A full-length novel takes me anywhere from three months to a year to draft, but I’m able to finish a short story in a week or so. Second, short stories are a place to experiment. I can play with voice, write in an unfamiliar genre, or use a different point of view. I’ve written ghost stories, high fantasy, modern horror, near-future apocalypse tales, and even a mystery. Finally, every word counts in a short story. Short fiction must still have well-developed characters, a complete story arc, and a distinctive voice, but everything has to develop quickly, using far fewer words. With less space to tell the tale, I find I’m more vigilant than ever about tightening my language. Hopefully, the short fiction I write for class will find a home somewhere, and I’ll be sure to share it with you.
We just left Minnesota, and I have to say, we were really charmed by the state! The twin cities were so cool, although the Twins were out of town so we didn’t get a chance to visit the ballpark. The lakes were gorgeous, and we definitely could have spent a lot more time there, so we’ve bookmarked it for more future exploration.
Today we’ll get to put another sticker on our map. We’re currently camped out in North Dakota, one of the last remaining states in the lower forty-eight that we’d yet to visit. Last night, we had dinner in the cool little western-themed town of Medora, and today, after a few hours of work, we’re heading into the Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
When school started last summer, I had a couple of projects in process. I used the break time between spring semester and residency, and the short summer recess, to finish two of those projects. I now have three romance novels in the pipeline–two romantic suspense stories from the TSI series and one romcom featuring an emotional support dog and a runaway bride. All three still need editing, but it’s good to have some new material in the works. Stay tuned!