What a year! Finished the novel--took me five years. It's out there, looking for a home away from its fussy creator. Whether it gets published or not, it's finished and I'm happy with what I accomplished. Writing it has definitely taught me a lot. Ideas for the next novel swim in my head. It's just… Continue reading Lightness of a Beginning
Author: Leah Ranada
Completion
Hand-sewn dining chair slipcovers—two sets of four pieces. Beef borsch (traditional recipe). Cleaned the gunk off the window ridges. Banana-chocolate chip bread, cottage cheese cake, and other baked experiments. Framed V’s oil painting and found a place for it alongside other photos and wall decorations. These are things I finished in the course of… Continue reading Completion
Writing Weary…Again
Still revising the same story I mentioned last March. A piece drafted two years ago. Short stories are sly and merciless like that, quick to consume but take forever to create. Come on, tell me something new, I beg the lines as I do yet another reread. Our relationship is akin to that of a… Continue reading Writing Weary…Again
Writer / Wanderer
...to me, a written piece is already "performing" once I've put it on paper. It's already working for an audience (reader), even if it's safely tucked away in my notebook (or saved in a drive). Drafts on paper make me pay more attention to the technical aspects of a written piece. Grammar, punctuation, and paragraph breaks are all important causes. But for me things that have more to do with the story's soul—characters and setting, tone and theme, conflicts and resolutions—are more easily resolved when I'm not yet burdened by a hard copy.
Reading at the Magazine Room Launch
Been invited to read at the Room Magazine's Fall Launch: https://www.facebook.com/events/437494499775516/ this Friday. I'm a nervous wreck during readings, but I definitely look forward to a beautiful evening of stories and verses. Hope to see you there.
Summer of Gratitude
The past few months reminded me of the many things I'm thankful for. Family and friends who are supportive of my goals. Writing, after all, can make one feel isolated, too much into one's head. When I get asked how my writing's going, or when I talk to fellow writers about the rewards and challenges of the craft,… Continue reading Summer of Gratitude
Musings on Reading and Mortality
A few months after my father passed away, I told my boyfriend, V, "You know what makes me sad sometimes? It's the thought that someday, I will die. And there will be so many beautiful books and stories out there that I haven't read." There are a few titles in my bookshelf that I haven't opened. I refuse… Continue reading Musings on Reading and Mortality
Scribbles in Spirals
A search for new story ideas led me to the box of diaries I wrote back in high school. I had taken a peek at these notebooks from time to time but had never actually read them. Boyfriend was away for a couple of weeks so I ended up poring over three or four notebooks during my free evenings. I… Continue reading Scribbles in Spirals
Writer’s Resolutions
Last year, I realised that I was willing to earn less money to gain more time to write. To this day I'm still thanking myself for quitting the 9-to-5 life, which not only gave me quality time for the craft but also taught me a few things about sustaining a writing life. So here are a few notes… Continue reading Writer’s Resolutions
Writing Weary
Posting an excerpt may be a form of writerly laziness, but I fess up to being lazy these days anyway and for that reason, I've been careful not to publicize this blog. For now, this is just a quiet place for thoughts and noteworthy things I encounter as a writer. And what follows is a good example.… Continue reading Writing Weary
Leah Ranada 