Author Archives: Elaine Burnes
A Writer, an Editor, and a Reader Walked into a Bar
I started the following essay when I heard about the call to fill the wonderful anthology, Our Happy Hours, edited by S. Renée Bess and Lee Lynch (aka “Story Collectors”). Then I heard Cindy Rizzo was going to write about Boston in the 1970s and knew she’d do a much better job than I could […]
On Completing a First Draft
I haven’t written about writing in a while. I’ve been working on a novel since approximately the dawn of written language. Almost three years ago, I wrote about breaking through a block (“The Insecurities of Being a Writer”). Last fall, I waxed enthusiastically in “Writing Is like a Fungus” about the guidebooks I used to […]
Winter Notes
In the evening when it’s dark and the stars shine bright, I like to stand by an open window and listen and breathe and look into the night. Winter air can be odorless. Or a pocket of scent might startle me, usually when walking through the woods. It could be the mild skunk-like musk of […]
Passing the Torch: How to fix the climate and everything else at the same time
Dare I say it, but I don’t think we’d be where we are without Trump. Without him, the #MeToo movement wouldn’t have taken off. As a candidate, he boasted of abusing women. Without him, climate change wouldn’t have mainstream media coverage. He pulled us out of the Paris Climate Agreement. Two devastating climate reports would […]
Power Lines
The hills line up to the horizon like a blanket kicked to the bottom of the bed. This isn’t the Himalayas, where continents crashed into each other, shoving rock five and a half miles into the sky. This is the result of an ice age pushing around the land thousands of years ago. The effect […]
Zen and the Art of Handling Setbacks
Writing a novel is a lot like building a porch. I’m not talking about planning and prep work and how conceiving and completing any project has similar steps and cautions. This is no Zen and the Art of Novel Writing (or Porch Building). This is about setbacks. It began so simply. A three-walled, roofed but […]
What Next? I Mean for the Planet, not Politics
I’m writing this a few days after the midterm elections. Not all the results are in, but what a ride, eh? I find I have plenty to say, but my thoughts are a bit jumbled, so bear with me. Despite the midterm results (mixed, at best), my attention has been grabbed by a book I […]
Mindless Tasks 2.0
It turns out, not all mindless tasks are useful. Some are just annoying. I will never again question why someone charges and arm and a leg for a painting project. As part of enclosing a small porch, it’s up to us to paint the materials—four panels with interchangeable screens and window inserts. It’s not only […]
Never Underestimate the Value of a Mindless Task
Do you dread certain tasks because they seem so…mindless? Rote. The kind of work we call unskilled labor. In college, a friend convinced a bunch of us to fold boxes for some company. I realized then that I might have missed my calling as a factory worker. I thought of that again when I recently […]
Writing Is like a Fungus
Already, I’m letting this blog down. It’s been too long since I’ve written. Well, I’ve been writing, and that’s the good news, just not here. What’s been happening? I’m working on a novel. My second, so you’d think it would be easier, right? Nope. Now I know all my weaknesses and found some new ones. […]
Elaine Burnes 