Hyacinth Grey. Indie Author. I write fiction.

Month: April 2020

  • Focus

    I like using a prompt on Thursdays, so I headed over to Discovery and found Focus. One suggestion was to talk about a sound, smell, or other stimulus that makes it easier to focus. For me, the stimulus has to be internal. I have to feel that interest, that drive, that get-up-and-go to be able…

  • A Letter to My First Reader

    Dear Reader, In January 2020, Wounded Bride was self-published through FriesenPress. One eBook copy was sold in February, so whoever bought it is my first Reader. I want you to know that you were the first person in the whole wide world to take a chance on a book with no reviews; one that had…

  • Writing Advice – Tell a Story

    There’s a lot of writing advice out there. Following some guidelines, such as the ones in my post about dialog attribution might make your writing more pleasant to read, but don’t let writing advice bog you down. Things can be fixed later. There’s no need to wait until your idea is perfect, or until you’ve…

  • Stuck in my Head

    What do you do when you get the name of the WordPress.com anti-spam feature Akismet stuck in your head? I mean, it’s a catchy name, but really, I could have a much more relaxing day without those three syllables rolling around inside my cranium. Strategies I use to get things to leave me alone include…

  • I Love to Share

    This is a list of all the blog posts I’ve ever liked. I haven’t been using the Reader for very long yet, so there are seventeen of them so far. The list goes from first liked to most recently liked, so the numbers don’t reflect how much I liked the post. The 5 Tricks That…

  • Two Weeks

    I’ve posted something each day for the last fourteen days. I find myself wanting to harmonize the spelling of “week” and “streak,” so instead of calling it a “too weak streak,” I’ll go with a “strong two-week streek.” Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Indie April Why I Write What I’ve Learned The Choice…

  • The Dark Tide – Part 1

    This is a work of fiction. Die Religion … ist das Opium des Volkes. Karl Marx Everyone had been called to Worship. I stood outside the temple, and waited for the doors to be opened. It was early morning, and very bright, with sunbeams reflecting off the snow that had fallen the night before. I…

  • Tempo

    Today’s post was inspired by this writing prompt: Tempo . I’ve been thinking about this poem lately, so when I read the section in the above post aimed at poets, I thought of it right away. E. J. Pratt’s “The Lee-Shore” is about the Atlantic Ocean, but while drafting A Letter to the Pacific Ocean…

  • A Letter to the Pacific Ocean

    Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com Ocean and humans, Pacific, no more conflict, World without stories. Photo by Gantas Vaiu010diulu0117nas on Pexels.com Dear Pacific Ocean, I’ve been reading a book about you. It’s called Pacific, and it’s written by Simon Winchester. It’s also Earth Day, so I guess I’ve been thinking about you lately. My publisher,…

  • Writing Advice – Dialog Attribution

    You’ve probably heard the phrase “show, don’t tell.” I’d like to show you why I think this is good writing advice when you’re writing dialog. Here are a few sample sentences written solely for this post. “Not again,” she sighed. “My best friend forever doesn’t want to talk to me anymore, and I’m completely and…

  • How Often?

    Dear Reader, How often would you like me to post short stories (or parts of them) on this blog? You can answer via this Poll on Twitter or by leaving a comment below. The choices are the following: once a week every 2 or 3 days as often as possible other (please explain)

  • My Writing Space and a Question for Readers

    I write best when I’m alone. Whether it’s a blog post or a novel, I can write anywhere, as long as nobody else is in the room. In practice, that means my home office, where my computer lives. I don’t need anything special. As long as I have a computer and am not too hot…

  • The Choice – Part 6

    This post is a work of fiction inspired by the Everyday Inspirations writing course from WordPress. The one-word prompt was “choice.” Matthew’s phone rang. Good, his new client would be ready for him. He lifted the receiver, but didn’t speak. “Good morning, Mr. Reid,” his secretary said. “Your nine o’clock has arrived and is in…

  • The Choice – Part 5

    This post is a work of fiction inspired by the Everyday Inspirations writing course from WordPress. The one-word prompt was “choice.” Rita watched Matt walk out of the Starbucks and get into a dark gray car. The engine came on and he roared away. She took a sip of coffee but it tasted awful. Might…

  • The Choice – Part 4

    This post is a work of fiction inspired by the Everyday Inspirations writing course from WordPress. The one-word prompt was “choice.” Rita looked into Matt’s clear blue eyes and wanted to ask a million questions, but didn’t know where to start. “How are you feeling, Rita?” His words were soft, mellow, and yet very clear.…

  • The Choice – Part 3

    This post is a work of fiction inspired by the Everyday Inspirations writing course from WordPress. The one-word prompt was “choice.” Rita asked Matt to meet her at a Starbucks the next morning. He replied almost immediately, confirming that he’d meet her there at 7:00 a.m. She tossed and turned all night long. At five,…

  • The Choice – Part 2

    This post is a work of fiction inspired by the Everyday Inspirations writing course from WordPress. The one-word prompt was “choice.” Rita tried to think who Matt might be. The older guy with sallow skin who would probably drop dead if he didn’t eat some vegetables soon? Or maybe Matt was the thirtysomething black guy…

  • The Choice – Part 1

    This post is a work of fiction inspired by the Everyday Inspirations writing course from WordPress. The one-word prompt was “choice.” What to do? She looked at the clock. It was 9:24 p.m. on a rainy Saturday evening in April. Take a chance, accept his invitation, or pretend his e-mail didn’t exist and go back…

  • What I’ve Learned

    Blogging is a great sport. Reading about writing makes me want to write more. I can rarely resist an upgrade. I should pay attention to things I don’t know about, such as using tags in blog posts, because doing so could bring more people to my website. Trying a suggestion, such as writing a list…

  • Why I Write

    I write because I enjoy writing. I also deeply feel the need to express myself through the written word. Writing helps me to deal with my emotions in a safe and liberating way. Let’s take the current coronavirus pandemic as an example. I don’t want to blog or tweet about how I feel about it.…

  • Why I Write

    I write because I enjoy writing. I also deeply feel the need to express myself through the written word. Writing helps me to deal with my emotions in a safe and liberating way. Let’s take the current coronavirus pandemic as an example. I don’t want to blog or tweet about how I feel about it.…

  • For Booksellers

    I’ve added a For Booksellers page to my site.

  • Indie April

    This is the first Indie April for me as a new author. I have heard mixed opinions about self-publishing, and this blog post is an examination of some of them. Is it hard work, or is it just vanity? You may have heard the term “vanity publishing,” meaning that anybody with money can have a…