Rebecca M. Douglass, Author

 Participating again in KL Caley's #WritePhoto, inspired by this really cool door in a wall. Blue. 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, or whatever by the following Tuesday and link back to KL's page. About 800 words. Through the Door “Don’t use that one.” I reached out a hand to stop Beth from touching the latch on the big blue door.   “But we always go this way. This isn’t the time to explore. It’s going to rain.” She waved a hand at the clouds that had grown thicker and darker as we walked that morning.   “I know. But look at this.” I pointed to the small, pointed door in the bottom half of the big one. “Let’s use this one.”   “Isn’t that the cat door?” She was running her hands over the metallic gold stars that studded the door, her fingers trying to read the meaning of the array.   “Pretty big for cats.” The

For the last few weeks I've been teaching a class on novel writing at the local senior-education non-profit. I started with a lot of ideas about what I should cover and how I should teach it, almost all of which I had to chuck the first day. Instead, my four students and I are wandering through different aspects of creating a story, the decisions that must be made about character, setting, plot, voice, narrative point of view, etc.  The result? A great excuse for me to delve more deeply into elements of my craft that I haven't thought about consciously, or haven't thought about enough. I get to talk about them with people who read a lot and write at least some. My neat and orderly progression through the stages of writing got dumped, but I, at least, am learning a lot! Here are some of the very relevant things I've been thinking about: Character . What does it take to make a character that readers will like, identify with, or at the least give a hoot about? How do you m

As I mentioned last week, I have recently learned that I have a transgender daughter. Because I'm an academic at heart, as soon as she told me this, I began hunting up and reading books on the subject. Because I'm cheap, I've been working on what's available at the library, on ebooks because I'm lazy and didn't want to walk up to the library in the rain. One thing jumped out at me: the library really needs to update the collection in this area. I was able to find virtually nothing (aside from memoirs, which aren't really what I was looking for at this point) less than 8 years old. Most seemed to date from about 2012. Here's a quick run-down on what I found, and what might or might not be helpful.   Title: My Child is Transgender: 10 Tips for Parents of Adult Trans Children Author: Matt Kailey Publication Info: Tranifesto Publishing, 2012. 28 pages. Publisher's Blurb: Your adult child has come out to you as transgender and is considering, or has alre

This is purely an eye candy post--I spent a couple of weeks in Maine with a friend back in October, some of the time on the coast, some at a cabin on Webb Lake near Blue Mountain State Park. I'm not going to try to make a narrative of this--just share a bunch of pretty pictures :) Leaving the smoke-filled lowlands of Puget Sound  The coast Near Brunswick, ME Warm enough to work outside! Christmas Cove, ME The Gulf side of Christmas Cove Damariscotta Pumpkin Festival Lily approved of the corgi pumpkin! Inland Classic Maine home with a glorious tree! Brunswick Commons Crystal Spring Farm open space, Brunswick Webb Lake Tumbledown Mountain Tumbledown Mountain and Webb Lake Fog on Web Lake from Blue Mountain State Park Hope you enjoyed this little excursion through the best season of the year!       ©Rebecca M. Douglass, 2023  As always, please ask permission to use any photos or text. Link-backs appreciated. Don't miss a post-- Follow us !  

  Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time - and return comments. This group is all about connecting! Let’s rock the neurotic writing world! Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG The awesome co-hosts for the February 1 posting of the IWSG are  Jacqui Murray,   Ronel Janse van Vuuren,   Pat Garcia,  and  Gwen Gardner! Every month, our wonderful leaders announce a quest

A simultaneously slightly absurd and frightenly real story of WWII, for kids 8 and up.   Title: Island of Spies Author: Sheila Turnage Publication Info: Dial Books, 2022. 384 pages. Source: Library digital resources. Publisher's Blurb: Twelve-year-old Stick Lawson lives on Hatteras Island, North Carolina, where life moves steady as the tides, and mysteries abound as long as you look really hard for them. Stick and her friends Rain and Neb are good at looking hard. They call themselves the Dime Novel Kids. And the only thing Stick wants more than a paying case for them to solve is the respect that comes with it. But on Hatteras, the tides are changing. World War II looms, curious newcomers have appeared on the small island, and in the waters off its shores, a wartime menace lurks that will upend Stick's life and those of everyone she loves. The Dimes are about to face more mysteries than they ever could have wished for, and risk more than they ever could have imagi

  I wrote the first few hundred words of this story a couple of weeks ago for the #WritePhoto challenge. I have since rewritten that and continued the story, so I'm including the whole 1950 words here--grab a cup of tea and relax with this double-sized flash fiction. These are the photos from KL Caley's WritePhoto page that set off the story. I didn't make the deadline, but go ahead and follow the link for other takes on the prompt.         At the Castle   I. 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 an all-too-solid bridge.   The new arrivals considered the antique pile and wondered if the castle could ever be made secure