Rebecca M. Douglass, Author

It's time for this writer to check in with a progress report, and what I have to report is... less writing, more thinking. This state of affairs has been brought on by me having agreed to teach a class on novel writing at a local senior center. This in turn has forced me to do something I haven't done for a couple of decades: class prep. This turns out to be a good thing, on the whole. Yes, I'm using my writing time to prep for class. But what I'm really doing is thinking about aspects of creating a novel. This week, for example, I've been focused on character. For those of you with amazing memories, you may recall that character is exactly what has been giving me holy heck in the last novel, so this might be a good thing. At this point, I am realizing how much needs to be juggled in writing our characters: their voices. Their backstories. Their conflicts and motivations. Oh, yeah, and their physical descriptions, which I tend to more or less leave out, and is that

                                        Approach--photo by KL Caley Participating in the weekly #WritePhoto blog hop at KL Caley's New2Writing blog. Every Thursday a new photo prompt. Post stories, poems, whatever by the following Tuesday and link back to KL's page.   I may have taken some liberties with this castle, as I don't think the one in the photo backs up to water, but that's the way of things when you start writing! This one is about 630 words. Approach Once, the entry to the castle must have shouted a large and inarguable “do not enter.” Moat, drawbridge, portcullis. With appropriate guards, it would keep out all but the most determined invaders.   There is one invader that no wall can protect against: time. The moat had long since filled itself in, the portcullis was rusted, and someone had built a solid bridge.   The new arrivals considered what was left of the ancestral castle and wondered if it could ever be made

This is a three-night backpack trip I did with my brother-in-law back in September, in Washington State's Alpine Lakes Wilderness. I had meant to do an additional two nights but that was when the Bolt Creek fire blew up and closed US 2 over the mountains--where I had intended to come out. I of course didn't know that at the time, but the sudden increase in smoke where we were and still more to the north where I wanted to go meant retreat was the right option. Day 1: Tuck and Robin Lakes  The hike in from the trailhead at Tucquala meadows (a good 3 hours from Seattle, more if the road hasn't been graded recently, but always fully passable to a Prius) to Robin lake is about 6 1/2 miles--and better than 3000' up. It's a stiff hike, in other words, with a full pack on a hot day (remember, I was carrying food for 5 days, and we weren't able to start hiking until late morning). The first several miles of trail is well-graded and climbs gradually past Hyas Lake,  then

    Title: Found in Transition: A Mother's Evolution During her Child's Gender Change Author: Paria Hassouri, MD Publication Info: New World Library, 2020. 215 pages Source: Library digital resources Publisher's Blurb: On Thanksgiving morning, Paria Hassouri finds herself furiously praying and negotiating with the universe as she irons a dress her fourteen-year-old, designated male at birth, has secretly purchased and wants to wear to dinner with the extended family. In this wonderfully frank, loving, and practical account of parenting a transgender teen, Paria chronicles what amounts to a dual transition: as her child transitions from male to female, she navigates through anger, denial, and grief to eventually arrive at acceptance. Despite her experience advising other parents in her work as a pediatrician, she was blindsided by her child's gender identity. Paria is also forced to examine how she still carries insecurities from her past of growing up as an I

Image by KL Caley Participating in the weekly #WritePhoto blog hop at KL Caley's New2Writing blog. Every Thursday a new photo prompt. Post stories, poems, whatever by the following Tuesday and link back to KL's page. I've been slacking a bit through the holidays, but am ready (maybe) to get back on the bandwagon. About 565 words. Down the Alley “We cut through here. It’s what the route map shows.”   “Are you sure?” Berta peered into the narrow lane between the old homes, the backsides of brick structures looking surprisingly attractive. “Does it even go through? It looks like a dead end.”   “No,” Sarah assured her. “There’s a turn down there and it continues out the other side. To the left. Which is the direction we need to go, and it cuts off this big loop on the main road.” She opened the mapping app on her phone and showed Berta. “See? We’re here, and if we cut through, we’ll be back on the other road, and then turn off right there. The gree

I n Part 1 of this account , we outlined the project (hiking roughly 1/3 of the Via Alpina across Switzerland with Tom, Carol, Bob, and Diane), and covered our first two days, hiking from Mels to Elm (and taking transport to Braunwald). Part 2 took us on to Klausenpass and to Altdorf, home of William Tell. In Part 3 we climbed over the Surenenpass and enjoyed rest days in Engleberg. Part 4 took us over the next pass or two to Meiringen, while Part 5 went on to Grindelwald and an excursion to a high mountain hut. Part 6 finished the linear journey. In this final post, we'll do some hikes around Lauterbrunnen and visit a cool outdoor museum. What we did in Lauterbrunnen We arranged to end our trip with 3 nights ins Lauterbrunnen, in order to do a few of the great hikes around there. The weather was a bit dodgy the first day, but we managed to find the views in spite of the best efforts of the clouds.   I went out after dinner on our arrival day to explore the town and check out t