Category: On Writing

On Publishing, On Writing, Thoughts

Yesterday I got bored

H.R. Gordon

Yesterday I got bored during a meeting, so I wrote a children’s book manuscript.

Shouldn’t I have been paying attention to the meeting? Well, yes, and in a way I was. But my business partner had it handled, and she has a tendency to talk a lot anyway, so I just let her go. And I wrote a children’s book manuscript.

It wasn’t anything fancy, and it was done in a few hours–if that. It was inspired by a thought the night before that reminded me of my childhood.

Perhaps you’ll read it someday. But right now, I’m busy publishing other people’s children’s books. And what a wonderful task that is.

-hrg

Check out some of the books I’m working with right now:

  • Five Hungry Mice won a Moonbeam Award in November! We just signed a contract with this illustrator for her next book (it involves monsters!
Tillie is a memoir, written in a diary-like fashion by Tillie’s son, Mark Goldman, a Buffalo historian. It may seem like your average memoir, but Tillie tells the story of New York City during a unique and vibrant era–from the perspective of a Jewish girl, no less. This launches on Mother’s Day, but is available for pre-sale, and I can’t wait to see what everyone thinks!
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On Writing, Thoughts

Word Wednesday: Grin

H.R. Gordon

The Word Wednesday challenge? Use this in some form of your writing this week. Whether it’s a poem, short story, a chapter, or an article, slip this word in, and then tag Sitting in Spilt Ink in it on Twitter (@SpiltInkPress) for a chance to be featured on the site! 

/ɡrin/

verbs

smile broadly, especially in an unrestrained manner and with the mouth open.

noun

a broad smile.

On Writing

Word Wednesday: Sailor

H.R. Gordon

sail·or

/ˈsālər/

noun

a person who navigates waterborne vessels or assists as a crewmember in their operation and maintenance

The Word Wednesday challenge? Use this in some form of your writing this week. Whether it’s a poem, short story, a chapter, or an article, slip this word in, and then tag Sitting in Spilt Ink in it on Twitter (@SpiltInkPress) for a chance to be featured on the site! 

On Writing, Thoughts

Word Wednesday: Aroma

H.R. Gordon

This Wednesday’s word is: Aroma (noun)

a·ro·ma

/əˈrōmə/

noun

a distinctive, typically pleasant smell.

The Word Wednesday challenge? Use this in some form of your writing this week. Whether it’s a poem, short story, a chapter, or an article, slip this word in, and then tag Sitting in Spilt Ink in it on Twitter (@SpiltInkPress) for a chance to be featured on the site! 

On Writing, Thoughts

Word Wednesday: Corduroy

H.R. Gordon

Corduroy.jpg

This Wednesday’s word is: Corduroy (noun)

cor·du·roy
/ˈkôrdəˌroi/
noun

a thick cotton fabric with velvety ribs.

The Word Wednesday challenge? Use this in some form of your writing this week. Whether it’s a poem, short story, a chapter, or an article, slip this word in, and then tag Sitting in Spilt Ink in it on Twitter (@SpiltInkPress) for a chance to be featured on the site! 

On Writing, Thoughts

Word Wednesday: Blustery

H.R. Gordon

Word Wednesday: Blustery, Sitting in Spilt Ink

This Wednesday’s word is: Blustery (adjective)

blus·ter·y

/ˈbləstərē/

adjective

(of weather or a period of time) characterized by strong winds.

The Word Wednesday challenge? Use this in some form of your writing this week. Whether it’s a poem, short story, a chapter, or an article, slip this word in, and then tag Sitting in Spilt Ink in it on Twitter (@SpiltInkPress) for a chance to be featured on the site! 

On Writing, Thoughts

Word Wednesday: Obsidian

H.R. Gordon

 

Word Wednesday_Obsidian_Spilt Ink Press_Sitting in Spilt InkThis Wednesday’s word is: Obsidian (noun)

ob·sid·i·an

/əb’sidēən,äb’sidēən

noun

a hard, dark, glasslike volcanic rock formed by the rapid solidification of lava without crystallization.

Did you know that obsidian is one of the stones used during Wiccan rituals on Halloween, or Samhain as witches refer to it?
Did you also know that H.R. Gordon is Wiccan?
Happy Samhain! Happy Halloween!

The Word Wednesday challenge? Use this in some form of your writing this week. Whether it’s a poem, short story, a chapter, or an article, slip this word in, and then tag Sitting in Spilt Ink in it on Twitter (@SpiltInkPress) for a chance to be featured on the site! 

On Mental Health, On Publishing, On Writing, Thoughts

Sitting in Spilt Ink unveils new manifesto

H.R. Gordon

I’ve been blogging at Sitting in Spilt Ink since I was 16. I’m 23 now. The blog has been dormant for some time now—almost a year. It started as an accident. I was overwhelmed with life and school, and I just didn’t make blogging a priority. But I didn’t have the motivation to blog either; it didn’t feel like there was a purpose behind it.

IMG_8864
Excuse the red tongue. I had a sore throat and was eating cough drops.

In the past year, I also had some complicated health issues that made really knocked Sitting in Spilt Ink off my priority list. While dealing with those issues, I was finishing my master’s in integrated marketing communications. I graduated in May, and I was the recipient of the award for excellence in my program. Soon after, I left an spent a month in Denver, Colorado, where I completed a graduate certification program in book publishing from the Denver Publishing Institute.

Continue reading “Sitting in Spilt Ink unveils new manifesto” →

On Life, On Mental Health, On Writing, Thoughts

How to write yourself down from a panic attack in six paragraphs

H.R. Gordon

The feeling of my chest folding in on itself is familiar in a haunting way. It clenches the way that muscles flinch when something comes to close to your face—except it stays that way. There’s no immediate relief after you don’t get hit. There’s no sigh to release the tension.

The creature sneaks its way down the center of my body, spreading through my stomach. The roots seem to grab hold of whatever organ they can, squeezing as if I’m trying to rip it from my body. But the only violent one here is it. If you tug, it clings harder. Like Devil’s Snare, the more you fight, the worse it gets. Continue reading “How to write yourself down from a panic attack in six paragraphs” →

On Writing, Thoughts

How do you write?

H.R. Gordon

I bet you didn’t know today was National Handwriting Day—and to be fair, I didn’t either until I stumbled upon the Twitter hashtag.

Although I do a plethora of writing by hand—journaling, letter-writing, list-making, scheduling—it struck me that I don’t write most of my prose by hand anymore. I believe the last story I wrote completely by hand was five years ago. Technology has consumed that part of my life. I used to carry a notebook for ideas; now I simply jot them in the “notes” section of my iPhone. When I’m interviewing someone for an article, my laptop comes along. While I usually still have a notebook and pen on me, what could be deemed my most important writing is almost exclusively written and saved electronically.

According to Forbes, National Handwriting Day was established in 1977 by Writing Instrument Manufacturers Association (WIMA). Forbes quotes WIMA saying, “Handwriting allows us to be artists and individuals during a time when we often use computers, faxes and email to communicate. Fonts are the same no matter what computer you use or how you use it and they lack a personal touch. Handwriting can add intimacy to a letter and reveal details about the writer’s personality. Throughout history, handwritten documents have sparked love affairs, started wars, established peace, freed slaves, created movements and declared independence.”

Perhaps the next time I write a story, I’ll sit down with a pen and paper. Hopefully by the the time it’s complete, I’ll be able to decipher my chicken scratch and find the words in the scribbles.

What’s your favorite way to write? Leave a note in the comments below. Let’s discuss!

-hrg