Rachel Lee's Blog

The other day on the Weather Channel I learned one of those interesting factoids that managed to penetrate . That factoid is this:  What do those recycling numbers mean?  Answer:  The higher the number, the harder the substance is to recycle.

Whoa!  Really?  That simple?  Well, duh.

Yup.  And it even explains why, in my county, they limit recycling to cans (any) and plastics with numbers of 1 or 2.  And this little factoid wound up giving me a headache (mainly because it made me think AGAIN).

Okay.  So I live on future beachfront property.  Considering the recent nose-dive in property values, I

• Read More »

Well... writing is all about what we know, right?  Or so I was always told.  And it's true that we reach into our personal experiences in life to create characters and stories that will feel real and resonate with readers.

But writing has a few lessons of its own to teach.  The most important may be that the bigger the challenge, the bigger the opportunity.

Writing a story should never be "easy."  If it's easy, something is wrong.  The characters have to face challenges and get into extremely difficult situations.  As I have learned, when I box in my characters in to the point where I want to

• Read More »

"May you live in interesting times."

Old Chinese curse.  And so very true.  There are days I wish for boredom, but since I'm not easily bored I rarely enjoy one.  But then there are the interesting times, of which I often feel I have too many.  However, sometimes those "interesting times are full of good news. :)

 The Man From Nowhere emerged from the darkness last Friday in a half-hour brain-storming session.  Unfortunately I can't tell you about it until the proposal is accepted, but trust me, you're going to love this guy.  You're going to want to take him home with you.  I'm in love with

• Read More »

It's time to propose a new book. 

This is the hard part, especially with life swirling around me.  Kids need attention, son is vacuuming for me, mate is playing 90,000 versions of "Waltzing Matilda" on YouTube, dog #1 has decided he's hungry.... And I'm still hurting all over from a fall that sprained my ankle. 

Not to mention we're in the "cone of uncertainty" for an approaching tropical system, and I've got to consider things like: getting propane, getting batteries...although emergency food and water are already in the house.  We're in a no-evacuation zone, so that means we ride out the

• Read More »

There is now a place on the forum to discuss the blogs, ask questions and suggest other topics you'd like me to write about.  I hope you'll join me

• Read More »

One of the questions most frequently asked of an author is: Where do you get your ideas?  And the answer is invariably: they're everywhere.  From the back of the mind, from news items, from the world around us.

Just as invariably, that answer proves to be disappointing.

But there's actually no magic to story-telling.  Psychologists have come to recognize that story-telling is how we create our own lives.  It's the way we put information together into a narrative that makes sense to us.  Everything that happens around us is being woven into the story.

How so?  Well, try to pay attention to how

• Read More »