Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts

Saturday, December 6, 2025

THE WRITER'S TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS By: Kimberly R. Thorn

 

The Writer’s Twelve Days of Christmas

By: Kimberly R. Thorn

On the first day of Christmas my novel manuscript gave to me one sore neck.

On the second day of Christmas my novel manuscript gave to me two cramped hands.

On the third day of Christmas my novel manuscript gave to me three hours sleep.



On the fourth day of Christmas my novel manuscript gave to me four migraines.

On the fifth day of Christmas my novel manuscript gave to me five panic attacks.

On the sixth day of Christmas my novel manuscript gave to me six hours ‘researching.’


On the seventh day of Christmas my novel manuscript gave to me seven hours of dreaming.

On the eighth day of Christmas my novel manuscript gave to me eight characters not cooperating.


On the ninth day of Christmas my novel manuscript gave to me nine possible plots.

On the tenth day of Christmas my novel manuscript gave to me ten grammar errors.

On the eleventh day of Christmas my novel manuscript gave to me eleven scenes to re-write.

On the twelfth day of Christmas my novel manuscript gave to me twelve rejection letters.



We here at Sand in Our Shorts wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah and a Happy Kwanzaa!

Saturday, December 14, 2024

"ALWAYS WINTER, NEVER CHRISTMAS?" by Yvonne Saxon

 

"Always winter, never Christmas" is one of my favorite lines from C.S. Lewis's book The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. The line speaks volumes in just four words. Winter is a season, and yes, a very necessary one in the physical world for rest and restoration.  I believe Christmas is also a very necessary season whether it's celebrated culturally or metaphorically. Is winter or Christmas a condition of your heart?

In Lewis's story the world is gray, and bleak and cold. Winter in our world can be bleak, harsh, cold and dreary. Bareness is everywhere: brown, stubby, empty fields, leafless trees, empty parks devoid of people. Shorter grayer days and longer darker nights send us inside to huddle and isolate. Christmas calls us out.

The Lonely Hearts Killer by Teresa Inge

As the saying goes, “if it’s too good to be true,” it probably is. The story of Harry F. Powers, the “Lonely Hearts Killer,” is a stark remi...