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OMG I’m an Author
Posted on February 21, 2012 by Kat French in story & craft
So, a few weeks ago, I noticed a Facebook update from the lovely and talented Marian Allen mentioning that her publisher, Echelon Press, was looking for submissions for steampunk versions of classic fairy tales. If you are not an aspiring author, and you are not into steampunk, and you did not grow up reading & [...]

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When your “day job” is also being a writer
Posted on February 15, 2012 by Kat French in story & craft
Being a “paid professional writer” is a dream for a lot of people. If you read many blogs or websites aimed at aspiring writers, most of them talk about the pros and cons of keeping your “day job” while you work on your craft and build up to earning a living with your writing. I’m [...]

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Facebook. Parenting. Context.
Posted on February 13, 2012 by Kat French in relationships
Over the weekend, a YouTube video went streaking through my social feeds like a comet, only to be eclipsed by news of Whitney Houston’s death and the Grammys. In the video, a clearly exasperated North Carolina dad reads a foul-mouthed, disrespectful post his 15 year old daughter put on Facebook, thinking she could block him [...]

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Fiction: Staying On Track
Posted on January 23, 2012 by Kat French in story & craft
[I wrote this flash fiction piece at the last Quills & Quibbles writers group meeting. The assignment was to write for ten minutes, longhand, and to include the word or idea "button."] Nora fiddled with the top button on her heavy coat. It would be time to leave soon. She was worried about Arthur. He [...]

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Defragging your physical environment
Posted on January 16, 2012 by Kat French in managing attention
Yesterday, I spent 5+ hours cleaning my 7 year old daughter’s bedroom. I had spent several additional hours a week or so ago just going through her clothing and purging anything that didn’t fit, was unfit to wear, or that she just didn’t like. All together, I removed 11 trash bags of stuff from her [...]

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Three words for 2012
Posted on January 3, 2012 by Kat French in managing attention, real life
Fellow web nerd Chris Brogan regularly distills his “New Year’s resolutions” into three code-word themes. Last week, he once again sent out a year-end reminder and request for people to do likewise. I don’t always play along, but this year in particular it seemed like a good tool for what I have planned. My three [...]

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