In a romance novel (or any novel), the main character has flaws that need fixing. The character grows and changes and by the end of the book has overcome them. That’s fiction. In real life it isn’t so easy. The presence of flaws is essential to the believability of the character. They make the hero … Read more
Capt. Mark and I are readers. Always have been. Always will be. Having this mutual love of books is important when you’re away from friends and family for long periods of time. We have no meetings, no parties, no backyard barbecues, no events to attend…just long evenings in solitary places. We’ve been in this boat … Read more
Met a guy in The Benjamin Islands who, after anchoring, helped us tie a stern line to a tree on shore. He promptly invited us to “rocktails.” Rocktails? That’s cocktails on shore, sitting on rocks. Dinghy had no engine, but we hauled ourselves into shore via the stern tie line. Very easy and we could … Read more
This is a cruising blog on a writer’s web page. As I haven’t left the dock in a week because of engine trouble, I’m going to talk about writing for a change. I’m a pantser. That’s a term that means I sit down with an idea in mind and I start writing. When I’m through—about … Read more
I’m not sure how the term “holing up” came into use. My guess is it originated as a boating term for those who had to find hurricane holes—safe refuges—to wait out violent storms. Capt. Mark thinks it might refer to foxholes. We’re “holing up” this week, but it isn’t because of weather or artillery. Our … Read more