About Me

A Sweet Milestone & a Giveaway

Lynette M Burrows

Celebration time! This post marks the 500th blog post I’ve published on this site. It’s a sweet milestone. One I wasn’t sure I’d ever reach. But big or small, bitterly won, or sweet–milestones should be celebrated. Remember to celebrate milestones as you prepare for the road ahead. –Nelson Mandela Looking Back  When I sat down to write about my 500th blog post, I reviewed this blog’s history. Listing your personal milestones is like storing a pocketful of sunshine for a rainy day. Sometimes our best is simply not enough…. We have to do what is required.  –Winston Churchill I’ve learned a lot. About writing. About discipline. And about blogging. Jump in With Both Feet I took an online blogging class from the incomparable Kristen Lamb in the fall of 2011. I learned a lot. But some things I ignored. She recommended we have a month or two of blog posts ready to go before posting. I couldn’t wait.  My first blog post went live on October 14, 2011. Mostly because I had no idea what I would blog about from day to day. It’s not a bad method, but you need to understand that you’ll experiment with lots of ideas. […]

My Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Month

Lynette M Burrows

It’s the last Friday of the month and I owe you a progress report. Perhaps the title of this post gives you a hint? My horrible, no good, very bad month says a lot, and yet not enough. And while I’m an optimist at heart, it got a beating this month. It Started Bad The storm of problems that has become 2020 definitely added to the negative side. But those things aren’t responsible for my horrible month. In July, my oldest and tiniest dog, Astro, had brain damage from a seizure or stroke. You can read more about that in my July Progress Report.  As a result, I carried him down the backyard ramp (we have a raised ranch) many times a day during July and into August. I also just sat and held him a lot. Just as August began, I learned that one of my books was on a pirate site. Investigating further, I learned that the only thing you could do on the site was to enter your credit card information. No other links worked. And there was no information available at any of the Whois type of sites. So, I let it go. Thieves will be […]

Does Writing Dark Stories Affect the Writer’s Soul?

Lynette M Burrows

Recently I read a fascination discussion on Facebook. A reader wanted to know: does writing dark stories affect the writer’s soul? It’s a question that deserves an answer. I hope you find my answer interesting. Presumptions There are several presumptions in this question. The first is that dark stories are bad for or a danger to one’s soul. The second is that fiction can affect one’s soul. The third is that writers have souls. And the final one is that the writer should think about his or her soul while writing.  Are Dark Stories Dangerous? To whom? To my soul? Short answer—no. Longer answer… it’s fiction. I’m old enough and wise enough to know reality from fiction. Right from wrong. Dark stories are dark because we need to deal with the demons of our imagination and our realities. The stories that have a happy ending where good overcomes evil reassures us. Stories that have a not so happy ending show us possibilities. Help us remember that evil is evil and doing wrong has a cost. Can Dark Fiction Affect Your Soul? Everything you do, say, act out affects your soul. If you understand and can differentiate between fiction and reality, […]