I finally realized why I had trouble writing the ending to my latest book, and it's that I listened to wrong advice instead of my heart.

Learn from my mistake, and if you know something to be true, write the way you need to.

An excerpt from the book I am writing:

"Second, the idea of "owning" land is misleading. It's true that most animals are territorial and protect their space. But land doesn't truly "belong" to anyone -- no more than parts of the ocean belong to whales, a forest grove belongs to monkeys, or a tree belongs to a colony of ants. We live on the land while we're alive, and that's it."

#Today 22

Good day!

Sometimes, I look closely, see what’s right in front of me, see the fragility.

Or I’ll see the big picture, see my humility looking back.

We have meaning, but that meaning makes us caretakers, not owners. Caring for the all, that’s humanity.

Be everwell.

#ScribesAndMakers 22
give up or persevere writing

There’s a time for each. The trick is knowing which path to take, & that the choice isn’t either/or.

If I’m displeased with a draft, the first thing I do is let it sit. The key is patience.

When I return to the work, I examine it with fresh eyes & make my decision. Abandon & keep for inspiration &/or reuse? Rewrite? Revise? I’ve done all of the above, but predominantly I revise. The magic happens in editing.

Welcome to week 4 of Erotic Musings! I'm so glad to see people getting involved If you're noticing us for the first time, it's a weekly discussion prompt for anyone involved in the creation of erotic work across the spectrum from sweet romance to spicy porn. Please jump into the discussion!

#EroticMusings week 4: Is your MC the kind of person you’d want a relationship with? How would they feel about you?

MC = Main Character (but if that doesn't really fit your work, feel free to talk about other characters)

JUST FOR THE FUN OF IT, I AM SHARNG with you some of #TheYorkFactoryExpress journals, instead of those of #TheHBCBrigade. A change of pace for all of us. This post is the introduction to the stories of The York Factory Express: that is, the HBC's annual express journeys to York Factory Hudson Bay, and return. From the Pacific to the Atlantic! #AmWriting #History https://nancymargueriteanderson.com/york-factory-express-introduction/

Peace in Our Rhyme

https://stgreenie.wordpress.com/2025/06/22/peace-in-our-rhyme/ via @stgreenie

THE BARLOW ROAD WAS A HISTORIC ROAD, BUILT in 1846 by some American pioneers. When completed, this eighty-mile long road led from the HBC post at The Dalles, around the backside of a mountain to the Willamette Valley. Obviously, it was an American-built road, but in 1849, Thomas Lowe rode over it and described it in his journal (obviously incorrectly, but never mind.) #TheHBCBrigades #AmWriting #History https://nancymargueriteanderson.com/the-barlow-road/

#WordWeavers June 21: What does a typical breakfast/first meal of the day look like for your MC?

Depends on how much of their original supplies are left. At first, normal-ish breakfast things (e.g., toast); reduced portions when they start rationing; culminating in leftovers of the stuff they hunt/forage for dinner.

They're in the Permian. There's no dinosaur eggs for breakfast (dinosaurs haven't evolved yet). Think ancient reptile meat and blanched fiddleheads...

#ScribesAndMakers 21
where I’m creative

Inspiration is everywhere, & when it comes, it produces sparks of creativity that I note, sometimes as notes. Children playing, a beautiful vista, stunning architecture, my own maps. It all works.

For productivity, I want comfortable, safe, & soothing. That’s my tiny, nest-like office where I trade the spark for glowing embers of creativity that last through long sessions where inspiration is experiences & imagination.

#WritersCoffeeClub 21
what doesn’t work in another language?

Good gosh, how would I know unless I spoke the other language?

So much would depend on the other language, other culture, & the skills of the translator.

Not only are my stories written in American English with splashes of British English, they take place on Ontyre with expressions unique to that world.

IN 1849, CLERK THOMAS LOWE led a group of men up the Columbia River to deliver packs and boats to Fort Nez Perces #WallaWalla #WA. He was travelling the same route as the outgoing York Factory Express used, but at a different time of year. #AmWriting #History https://nancymargueriteanderson.com/up-the-columbia/

Me: showers

My brain: here, have full visuals of the video characters Alex and Esther from a story you wrote last year make for their Catullus recitation and translation project

Seriously. What the fuck, brain.

Four Seasons of Heythwaite - Cosy Mystery set in Yorkshire.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07H2N9DYR

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fictional character & me

A true match doesn’t exist, & I like it that way. Marianne Dashwood in “Sense and Sensibility” a little, or maybe Terisa Morgan in “The Mirror of Her Dreams.” It’s long since I read either book, though.

None of my own heroines are an exact match for me, either. That’s on purpose. Instead, there’s a piece of me in each one. Riparia, for instance, faces obstacles I never could, Kasaria is a brilliant linguist, etc..

This is why you need to pay an editor...