Blog

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As a curious observer of life, I blog on writing, marketing, my prairie - anything that interests me in the moment. I like to have conversations with readers, so don’t hesitate to leave a comment. I'll respond.

If these windows could talk

By Carol / 16 May 2011 /

This blog is a re-post from May 13.  If these windows could talk As we strolled the narrow streets of the walled city of Lucca today, my attention was drawn most often to the windows.…

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Doing laundry Italian style

By Carol / 15 May 2011 /

Sooner or later it was going to rain. Sooner or later we needed to do the laundry. These two rare events both happened on the same day. Today. Since we arrived in Italy a week…

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Stopping to smell the roses

By Carol / 14 May 2011 /

‘Be sure to stop and smell the roses’ is a cliché. If an author uses the line, readers may feel the writing is trite, that the author took the easy route instead of working for…

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Finding my way

By Carol / 13 May 2011 /

My internal compass is all out of whack. As a Midwestern farm girl, I’m used to having a clear sense of north, south, east and west. If the sun is shining in Iowa, I know…

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The talk of the town

By Carol / 11 May 2011 /

Massa Macinaia, Italy, is no different than Preston, Iowa – at least in one respect. People notice newcomers. Who are they? What are they doing here? How long will they stay? Mary and I stick…

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Who tells your story?

By Carol / 10 May 2011 /

A maxim of the public relations business is ‘tell your own story or someone else will tell it for you. And you may not like what they say.’ Anyone who has written a memoir has…

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At home in Italy

By Carol / 09 May 2011 /

Today was all about getting to know our Italian neighborhood. Our landlady Cristina gave us a driving tour of our village, Massa Macinaia – pointing out the supermarket, bank, restaurants and a deli famous for…

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Leaving on a jet plane

By Carol / 08 May 2011 /

As we drove to the airport, I said to my husband that it felt as though with every step I was leaving my comfort zone, moving steadily into the unknown. This Italian writing retreat would…

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