Each state has its own rules for home based food businesses… links are provided below.
When the economy gets iffy, it might be the time to add a side hustle or launch your own home-based bakery or other food business. Each state has different food safety rules for home kitchens and the links below will take you to the pages where you can see if your food business ideas are viable and legal… or not. Best to know the info ahead of time before you spend money on a business launch. Here are the current links for all 50 states and Washington, DC.
Most links are clickable. For the PDF files, however, you’ll need to copy and paste the URL into a new browser tab.
31. New Mexico chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.env.nm.gov/ wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2021/08/2021-08-16-EHD-Homemade-Food-Act-factsheet.pdf
Here’s an example food label with home kitchen labeling requirements for Florida. This 3″ x 2″ label is available in my Zazzle shop… you can click the graphic to see how it looks on bread bags. You can easily revise the text with your own state’s required wording on Zazzle’s personalization template. If you design your own labels, feel free to use this format as a guide to make sure everything fits on the label.
Leftover mincemeat? Make mouthwatering mincemeat muffins!
What can you do with a cup or two of leftover mincemeat? Make the most delicious muffins in the world!
A few weeks before Christmas in 2015, I found a recipe for a very tasty apple dish that used a small amount of mincemeat for the filling. I was left with quite a bit of Robertson’s Classic Mincemeat as a result.
And even though I love mincemeat pie, I’m horrible at making pie crusts so I researched other ways to create a new dish with my mincemeat leftovers.
Here’s the recipe I found for leftover mincemeat: Mouthwatering Mincemeat Muffins. They’re wonderful with a little butter fresh and hot from the oven… plus they’re hearty enough to serve for a quick breakfast with a cup of coffee in the morning. When you make the recipe, feel free to add more or less mincemeat, depending on how much you have left over from other baking. You could also replace the apple with chopped pear. A dash of ginger could be fun, too.
These muffins freeze well, so why not make a double recipe while you’re at it. You won’t be disappointed. They are so scrumptious, you’ll go weak at the knees at your first bite. No kidding.
1/3 cup sugar. My preference is Organic Florida Crystals
1 level tbsp. baking powder
1 level tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt (or less)
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (or pecans) (Optional)
Wet Ingredients
3/4 cup milk (I used whole milk)
1/3 cup canola oil or other light-tasting vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 cup mincemeat. Robertson’s Classic is all fruit
1 small tart apple, peeled, cored, and finely chopped
Instructions
Filled muffin cups before baking
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Insert paper liners into 12 muffin cups
In a large bowl, blend the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt)
In a separate bowl, mix together the milk, vegetable oil and egg, making sure the oil is incorporated
Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients
Add the mincemeat
Stir to combine, but not completely
Add chopped apple and nuts
Continue stirring until everything is blended, but do not use a mixer or blend too long (lumps are okay)
Fill muffin cups to top
Bake for 25 minutes (or until tops of muffins are golden)
Test with a toothpick (it’s a heavy batter… make sure it’s cooked through)
Serve warm
Recipe Notes
Robertson’s Classic Mincemeat: All Fruit, NO High Fructose Corn Syrup
This is the mincemeat I used for the muffin recipe. It’s all fruit (no meat like in the old days) and really delicious. My grocery store only had mincemeat with high fructose corn syrup, so I was happy to find Robertson’s Mincemeat at Fresh Market. I was pleased to see that Amazon carries it also, now that I’ve moved 10 miles away from Fresh Market.
Still, yet, more, again until it stops. What is “it”? The world knows what “it” is. And “it” stops when enough people speak truth to power.
A government of the people, by the people, and for the people needs active people, not bystanders. Where is the best bang for your action’s buck? Are you brave enough to find out? A vote helps, yes. But apparently votes can be tampered with – on purpose or by accident. So what is your (lawful, non-violent) method for ensuring that a republic remains in the space between Canada and Mexico?
Here are a few steps ordinary people can take to make sure that the space between Canada and Mexico lives up to our expectations
Peaceful protests are one type of action. Heartfelt prayer is another. Group meditations to build higher consciousness are also a way to bring about healing and change. Standing in place silently in groups (socially distanced as needed) works, too… and gets attention without provoking others. Sit-ins and teach-ins have proven valuable in the past. Or how about songs written for these times… songs of hope and human kindness… songs that are easy to remember and sing. The 1960s had their anthems. The 2020s can, too.
It may take quite a while to right the ship called the United States of America, now that its hull integrity may have been compromised. As passengers on this vessel, many are feeling demoralized and betrayed, knowing what is happening but not knowing what to do about it. “Of the people, by the people, for the people” means we don’t get to just stand by and watch while the situation deteriorates. Maybe it’s time to start bailing, even as the ship’s officers continue to twiddle their thumbs or create more havoc.
So what can one individual do to help make an imperfect union more perfect?
Sometimes it’s the little things that make a big difference
For example, if you’re a cook, feed people who are hungry. If you’re a writer, feel the truth and write about it. If you’re a musician, create an uplifting anthem. If you’re a walker, join a peaceful protest march.
If you’re a preacher, think about how Jesus taught the multitudes. If you’re a history teacher, give civics lessons everywhere you can. If you’re a senior citizen, what are you an expert in that is becoming a lost art… can you teach it to others?
Politicians are not the only ones with muscle in this game. We the people have a lot at stake and the time for passive watching is over. Unless you think going down with the ship is your path in life.
Blessed are the protesters for they are walking the talk
Blessed are the martyrs for they awaken the sleeping
Blessed are the scribes for they reveal the truth
Blessed are the open-minded whose hearts can feel this truth
We ask for blessings for the protesters, the martyrs, the scribes, the open-minded for they will show the way
Master Jesus was both protester and martyr and his scribes preserved the lessons that we study still today with open hearts and minds aspiring to the Christ Consciousness in which Jesus lived.
Here’s how I created a successful side hustle that brings in more dollars monthly than my social security income.
I joined Zazzle in 2009 – not thinking of it as an income-earning side hustle – but to have fun making Christmas cards and coffee mugs with my photographs of sunsets and flowers. I didn’t do much for quite awhile with my New Radiance Zazzle shop so did not keep up with the improvements that took place over the years on Zazzle. Then in late 2016, I discovered Elke Clarke’s website with loads of free material, an informative newsletter… and (at that time) a beginner course that helped me figure out the many improvements Zazzle had made for their designers and customers.
Learning about Elke’s personal success story with Zazzle earnings helped me understand that Zazzle could be a viable “side hustle” to augment Social Security. I had never worked for a company with a pension plan or 401K, so it was imperative to have a second income source, once my day job ended. I was so impressed with Elke’s free material that I signed up immediately when Elke launched the more advanced 5 Step Profit Plan Program the following July.
Then in 2019, Elke and her daughter, Jen, launched the Profit by Design Academy which combines the beginner and advanced programs into an easy-to-follow course that is open to join twice a year. I’ve taken this course, too, and it is excellent. They added a coaching program to the PDA a few years ago, and that’s where you can find me now. Entry for this year is closed, but I’m excited to see what’s in store for 2026.
MY AH-HA MOMENT
During my training with the Clarkes, I truly understood that I could earn a living income with Zazzle, doing work I enjoyed providing products that people wanted and needed. In addition, Elke’s training helped me figure out a design niche that works for me.
Elke and Jen Clarke’s programs are simply the best online business investments I’ve ever made. The lessons are hands-on, how-to, and step-by-step. Easy to follow and spot-on for what’s needed.
After working with Elke and Jen, I’ve become a full-time designer with a unique, creative way to showcase my inspirational writing at the same time.
Even if you’re not an artist (and I’m not… I’m a writer), Elke and Jen will teach you how to use the Zazzle design tools to start earning income quickly. Here’s the link for more info at ElkeClarke.com.
DISCLOSURE: I believe in the Clarke Courses so much, I also joined their affiliate program, the income from which helps me keep my websites going. The easiest way to check out Jen and Elke’s courses and programs yourself is by going here
Dental and medical problems often require a soft foods diet. And for vegetarians, this can require a bit of extra research and creativity.
Has your doctor or dentist ever told you to eat a “soft foods diet” for a specific dental or health problem? And did you find out, like I did, that most soft food menu lists are not vegetarian-friendly, since they contain a lot of ground meat and fish suggestions?
For vegans, a soft food routine would be quite tricky, because so many of the recommended soft foods contain dairy or egg products. I mean, how many smoothies can one person drink in a day, never mind for a week or two… or 5 weeks, in our case? The first time. We had two more dental situations after that requiring soft foods.
In August my dentist sent me to have root canal surgery and my son’s orthodontist installed a TMJ dental appliance with the instruction to “eat soft foods – almost liquid” for a month.
This page represents my research, quick fixes and make-do efforts to satisfy the hunger pangs of a 6 foot 1 inch male with food that isn’t boring, that IS sufficiently filling and that is nutritious enough to keep us ticking.
Did I say it was for a whole month? And me with no juicer. Guess how I spent the first weekend? Shopping for a blender, Googling smoothie recipes and researching protein powders.
On top of this, we’re becoming more vegetarian in our diet, so food such as ground beef was out… and menu creativity was most definitely called for. This page is a research record of how we handled our soft food lifestyle for four weeks in a row (it ended up being 5 weeks). Here’s what we came up with.
UPDATE 1: The permanently-affixed appliance was removed after 5-1/2 weeks of eating soft foods (that’s a LONG time to completely overhaul a family’s eating plans). My son now has a TMJ dental appliance that can be removed for eating. Whoopee!
UPDATE 2: I just had oral surgery myself and created my soft foods grocery list from… my own web page. Sure did make it easier this time around.
Smoothies Were Top of the List for Soft Foods
We had to run out and buy a blender, which I later found cheaper on Amazon.
My basic recipe was 1 cup orange juice, 1 cup frozen strawberries, 1 fresh banana, sugar or stevia to taste. No need to add ice cubes when using frozen fruit.
UPDATE 2: Tried a home made “Orange Julius” and it wasn’t bad. I didn’t have most of the ingredients that the recipe websites suggested. I live in Florida… why would I buy frozen juice concentrate? So I combined some real orange juice with vanilla ice cream and it tasted just like an Orange Julius drink. Next time I’ll try adding whey powder for some added protein. I’ve seen them add it at Orange Julius restaurants; I think that’s what makes the drink frothy.
Soft Foods for Breakfast – Oatmeal or Cream of Wheat
If you’ve ever had to prepare a soft foods diet for yourself or a family member, you’ll know what we’re going through. If you’re in this boat right now, I hope my research helps you in your own menu planning. And maybe my ah-ha’s will spur you on to even better ideas. I don’t think we can survive on ice cream and soup for a month.
I’m not much of a cook, so you won’t find too many recipes… at least until later in the month, when I’ve had a little more practice preparing mush three meals a day. And, while my tooth is currently covered by a temporary crown, I’m not eating anything chewy either. Mealtimes have become a bit of a challenge for sure.
The one meal that’s really easy, of course, is breakfast. Bless you, instant oatmeal! Thank goodness I already had some in the house.
Amy’s Organic Soups for Lunch
We had half a dozen cans lined up ready to use. Not only are we heading in a vegetarian direction, we’re now eating organic as much as we can manage… and afford. So the same trip to the health food store revealed a bonanza of wonderful Amy’s Organic Soups, which are lined up on the kitchen counter, ready to heat and serve… as you can see in the picture here.
So far, we’ve been very happy with Butternut Squash, Curried Lentil and Minestrone. Amy’s Vegetable Lentil Soup is a tried and true favorite and Field Day Spicy Chili was a big hit. Now that I’m planning our menus ahead, I can order by the case from Amazon, where the prices are 50 to 80 cents a can cheaper than at my health food store. Obviously, I could make soup from scratch and, depending on how long we’re going to need a soft foods menu, I may have to Google a few bean soup recipes… or buy a soup cookbook.
Here’s what we had for supper Sunday night – Mashed potatoes, soft mac ‘n cheese and peas
Saturday evening, my son’s 30th birthday – the day we should have been celebrating in higher style – we ended up at Panera Bakery. The Broccoli and Cheese Soup was a big hit and sufficiently nutritious to get us through that day. And because this is a temporary diet and my 6’1″ son is not overweight, he can handle the calories in the soup.
On Sunday, I made mashed potatoes with carrots in them (hence the orange specks), peas and leftover Panera macaroni and cheese. I wish I liked cooking more. I have no idea yet how we’re going to get through 4 weeks of this. Stay tuned, if you’re desperate for ideas. I’ll keep looking.
[NOTE] If you have a cholesterol issue, I’d steer away from Panera’s Mac & Cheese, however. It’s delicious – but with loads of cheese, according to one of their young cooks.
[UPDATE ON PANERA MAC & CHEESE] We recently found Panera’s Mac & Cheese for sale in Target – in a single serving size – and, on reading the list of ingredients, noticed the inclusion of chicken stock. Not quite vegetarian, in other words.
Birthday Cake was on the menu!
I asked… and the dentist said “okay”. Because our soft foods diet started the weekend of my son’s 30th birthday, we had to forego parties and chewy food. But the orthodontist said that birthday cake was considered “soft food.” Yahoo!
Here’s a picture of the birthday cake we got from Publix.
Here’s the soft food list that my research has come up with so far:
Soft cereals (oatmeal, grits, cream of wheat)
Ice cream
Pudding
Applesauce
Mashed potatoes
Mashed carrots
Macaroni
Bananas
Soft (pureed) fruits
Mashed pumpkin or squash
Baked beans
Pancakes (see my Swedish pancakes review below)
Scrambled eggs (we usually serve with grits)
Ground beef (not for “almost liquid” or vegetarian menus)
Yogurt and cottage cheese
Milkshakes
Soups (without crunchy bits)
Custard
Birthday cake!
Ramen noodles in broth
Ensure (recommended by the orthodontist… not gonna happen!)
Panera Macaroni and Cheese (better than my recipe, says my son)
Scalloped potatoes (soft, requires a bit of chewing)
Soft vegetarian chili worked well
Monday night was another Panera Bakery meal. My son’s a sucker for their Broccoli Cheese soup and mac ‘n cheese. Tuesday, I made scrambled eggs and grits. Then on Wednesday, we tried the chili we bought over the weekend at the health food store: Field Day Organic Spicy Vegetarian Chili.
We just added a little grated sharp cheddar and chopped sweet onions on the top and dug in. The texture worked well for my son’s dental situation and we’ll definitely get it again to make Cincinnati Chili when he’s allowed to chew spaghetti noodles.
If you’ve never had Cincinnati Chili, here’s how I make it. Basically, I boil spaghetti noodles, cook up some chili to put on top of the spaghetti, fresh-grate some sharp cheddar cheese and finely chop some sweet onion. You can get fancier, but this seems like enough steps for a chili-spaghetti dish. A little garlic bread and supper’s done.
Another winner: Swedish Pancakes – soft and yummy
I used Lund’s Swedish Pancake Mix the first couple of times and then made pancakes from scratch another. Though, I must admit… I like to have a box of Lund’s available for quick meals.
When we moved into our new apartment in April 2013, our next-door neighbor turned out to be a spiny orb weaver spider. At the time, I didn’t know what type of critter she was… I just knew that she was a pretty funky-looking arachnid, weaving a spider’s web that held her through windstorms, rainfalls, and dive-bombing birds.
I’m not typically a fan of spiders and shoo them away at the first (safe) opportunity. But this little lady was different and, so, we let her huge web stay in place and just let her be.
Until the lawn guys chopped off the palm frond that held her great big silky home in place.
The travels of this intrepid orb weaver are documented here and I hope you enjoy weaving your way (pun intended) through the Carlotta Saga. I don’t know yet if it has a happy ending. She’s had a pretty rough time of it.
I started calling her “Carlotta” because it’s the Italian version of Charlotte, the name given to another orb weaver… a very famous, fictitious spider who befriended a little piglet named Wilbur. You know who I mean, right? Except she wasn’t spiny… just “barny.”
Here’s another closeup of a spiny orb weaver spider
Looks a little like a crab, doesn’t it?
Source: Bob Peterson via Wikimedia Commons
While the spiny orb weaver spider may look ferocious, it’s actually harmless to humans… and beneficial for gardens.
Judging from the number of little wrapped-up bugs I saw in Carlotta’s finely woven web, I’m sure she was keeping our 2nd floor balcony free of flying insects, too.
With the fancy-sounding Latin moniker Gasteracantha Cancriformis, spiny orb weavers are colorful spiders that are easy to spot when they’re hanging in the middle of their beautifully-shaped webs. Carlotta has red markings similar to the orb weaver pictured here. I couldn’t get close enough to take a photo that showed her colors this well, though you’ll see her in typical upside down repose in the picture above (taken with my Panasonic Lumix from the side of the balcony).
Is Carlotta bringing me a message?
Why is this spider hanging around here?
When I told my friend, Ferne, the story about our little “web-centric” critter, she immediately said, “Spider Medicine.” Ferne’s very intuitive, so I got out my Medicine Cards and hunted for the card with the spider on it. You can see the #43 card in the introduction above.
Here’s “Spider Medicine” in a nutshell: “Weaving.” Go figure.
Spider Medicine Card
Animal totem lore says that Spider wove the first primordial alphabet. In fact, you can almost see the outlines of letters and symbols in any well-shaped web. What does an alphabet do? Make words. What do words do? Weave stories. Sheesh!
It sounds as if Carlotta’s presence is a reminder to start writing more. I got off track the past few months moving house a couple of times and haven’t written on my blog or anywhere else, for that matter. Until now. Thanks to a spider.
I love the Medicine Cards book because the information always hits true – and believe me, it hits. The Spider card description mentions how a spider’s body is shaped like the number 8, the symbol for infinity, suggesting “infinite possibilities of creation.” Not to mention it’s the female energy of the creative force. Oh, man… how big a two-by-four do I need to be hit with? “Create, create, create,” the book says.
Okay, okay, okay… I get it!
Carlotta’s Web – … before they cut the frond off the palm tree where she lived
Carlotta’s web
Carlotta lost this home when the lawn guys cut off the palm frond that held her web in place. You can see her in the middle of this amazingly complex dwelling-place she had woven.
For days, I saw her hanging onto a single brown leaf that just drifted and swayed about in the wind. I think she was building up her silky web supply during that downtime because she did create a web higher up in the tree later on.
Until one morning, there she was, hanging on a thread right above the railing of our balcony. The front railing, where I stand every day to watch the dolphins and take sunset photos.
Eeeek!
The saga continues below.
Carlotta’s next home was here
Carlotta’s next web started here
The spider moving-van
Humane spider removal
It was pretty unnerving to sit sipping coffee on the balcony with a spider hanging down in front of me, so I got out my trusty balcony broom and gently nudged the threads of Carlotta’s web over to the side of the balcony. I don’t go over there much and I wanted to direct her back toward the palm tree, where she had previously resided.
And it worked, pretty much. You’ll see a picture below of Carlotta suspended between the apartment building and the palm tree, creating a brand new web.
She stayed there for a few days and then… disappeared! I kept going out onto the balcony hoping she was just taking a rest, like she did after the palm frond-chopping incident but, so far, I haven’t seen her. I’ve walked around all the trees on our side of the building and… no Carlotta.
She’s a resilient little thing, though. She hung on for dear life through Tropical Storm Andrea, so I’m hoping I’ll look out one day, and there she’ll be again. I’ve seen the threads of her web glinting in the sunlight… just no sightings of Carlotta.
The saga continues… I hope.
The dot in the middle is Carlotta
Carlotta’s new web
The drama continues … but still no Carlotta
This past Thursday, I could see some of Carlotta’s web when the early morning sun was shining through it. So I took heart that maybe she was somewhere nearby… just out of sight.
Did the lizard eat Carlotta?
On Friday, I couldn’t see the webbing anymore, but this fairly large green chameleon (lizard thing) was looking down from the top branch of the palm tree. There he is in the picture to the right.
Oh-oh!
I sure hope Carlotta didn’t end up being a reptile’s lunch.
I’ll keep looking for her… but I’m starting to lose hope that she’s still around.
And it’s just possible that now she has served her “messenger” purpose for me, Carlotta has gone to bring her spider medicine to another blocked writer… who needs her more than I do.
Maybe.
Postscript: Two days ago, I searched the palm tree… again… for Carlotta and found – a very tiny spider making a very large web. I’m wondering if Carlotta did hide away to have babies and this is one of them. I can’t tell yet what kind of spider it is, though. It’s really, really small.
P.P.S. I haven’t seen the baby spider for days now. We have a lot of lizards here and I’m wondering if one of them caught hold of our itsy bitsy spider.
One year later… I’ve learned that spiny orb weavers live only one season and head off to spider heaven after they reproduce. This year, there’s a much smaller spiny orb weaver making a web under the stairs at our apartment complex. And it’s too dark to get a good photo.
My mother, Anne, was the Queen of Courage in my life – a graceful, gracious and tough lady, especially when faced with adversity.
The Finns have the perfect word for her kind of toughness – sisu – which describes determination and perseverance when faced with adversity. My mom had sisu up the wazoo. That’s why I called her “the Queen of Courage.”
My mom’s life was going along pretty well for quite a while. She learned ballroom dancing shortly before turning 70 and had a blast taking dance lessons with her handsome instructor (whose wife taught my step-dad his ballroom steps). My mom helped me sell the directories I was publishing in my evening hours and was hostess for many business and family get-togethers. She was busy and enjoying life.
Then one day in the mid 1990s, she started experiencing foot pain and had a little difficulty walking. Within a very few days, her left leg was becoming paralyzed. A neurologist told her that there was nothing that he could do and she’d never walk normally again.
Luckily, one of my mom’s dance studio buddies was a nurse who insisted that she see a particular specialist – immediately. She did and was admitted to the hospital – immediately. The paralysis was quickly spreading to her other leg and left hand. Left unchecked, who knows what might have happened. But the neurologist who saved her life started her on high doses of steroids, which slowed down and ultimately stopped any further nerve damage.
The doctors never did put a name to her condition, even after days of tests. Didn’t matter. The damage was done and a long uphill climb of therapy was prescribed.
Here’s my mom as Raggedy Ann – before she got sick
Getting ready for Halloween at the dance studio…
My mother was active and healthy… until all this happened.
This photograph was taken a year or two before her hospitalization. She was all dressed up as Raggedy Ann for the Halloween costume party at her dance studio. You can see she’s already got her dancing shoes on.
The smile you see is how she felt. She was really proud of the costume she put together for that event. I think that’s the year my stepfather, Stuart, went as the pope, wearing a long white robe and carrying a turkey baster as his scepter. They had fun, those two.
My mother was in the hospital for a long time, while they stabilized her and tried to figure out what hit her. During that time she lost so much weight, she looked like a scarecrow and, because of the severe nerve damage, the muscles of her arms and legs looked as if they weren’t even attached anymore.
And this was a lady who did strenuous dance training every week.
It was amazing to me how quickly her body deteriorated. I really didn’t know if she’d ever be able to recover from it.
The Queen of Courage at outpatient pool therapy
Months and months of therapy…
And smiling!
My mom spent a month in Healthsouth Rehab Hospital, getting 3 hours of physical and occupational therapy a day. In her situation, I’m not sure I would have been so gung-ho to exercise but my mother was determined to get better. She wanted to walk again, to drive again… and most of all, to dance again.
You can see in the pool picture just how thin her left arm is compared to the right arm, which wasn’t nearly as damaged. And this is after more than a month of therapy in the hospital.
Months and months of home therapy followed. And I don’t remember her complaining all that much about the drudgery of it. I know she didn’t enjoy staying in a wheelchair all day and that could have spurred her on to work harder.
She’s smiling in this photo, too.
Christmas – the following year
Looking pretty good!
Here’s a picture of my mom taken at Christmas dinner a year after her illness.
She still tired easily and a family function could wear her out pretty quickly. But she gamely hung on and managed to stay awake until after the presents were opened.
My mother kept on with her exercises at home, even when the therapists stopped coming and eventually was able to walk again. She could drive her car short distances, but her reflexes weren’t as fast as before, so driving wasn’t something she did very often.
After so much nerve damage to her feet, wearing high-heeled dancing shoes wasn’t possible, but she did pretty well in secure, flat shoes. It wasn’t the same as before… but it would have to do.
She didn’t complain about it. She just researched the alternatives and worked around things, pretty much. And her “gang” at the dance studio was tremendously supportive, even if she wasn’t on the dance floor as often as before.
12 years later…
Mom’s last Christmas
While my mother never recovered 100% from her illness, she made the best of the situation and functioned to the highest of her capabilities for a few more years. During this time, she remained the majordomo of the household and, even though she needed extra help, directed the efforts of the helpers in her usual no-nonsense style. (I was one of the helpers.)
As she got older, however, the damage to her body started to catch up with her. Further, as she aged, she was increasingly unenthusiastic about keeping up an exercise program. My mother spent the final few years of her life in a wheelchair, more or less house-bound.
This picture shows my mother at her last Christmas gathering at home. In fact, she was lucky to be there at all that year. We had to get special permission (and wheelchair transport) to bring her home for the day from the nursing center where she was staying – temporarily, as we thought then. She never did make it back home after that… and transitioned out of body in May 2006.
Every year since then, usually around Mother’s Day, I walk myself back through that time, wondering if I could have handled an illness that severe with so much grace and spunk. And, to be honest, I don’t know.
Years later, after my sister got to ring her bell following cancer treatment, I created a Zazzle collection of Queen of Courage party invitations and supplies, to commemorate the occasion with cancer survivors. You can view the invitation here.
Stephen King on the Art, Craft and Business of Writing
On Writing is the first Stephen King book I’ve ever read. It’s an excellent memoir of his life as a writer: what got him started, how he built his writing portfolio, and how his stories evolved, through vivid imagination and astute editing.
But I’ve never read any of King’s fiction books. Not one.
I recognize from On Writing that Stephen King is a really good writer who understands the art, craft and business of writing very well.
And if he wrote in a different genre, I’d probably read him. So far I haven’t ventured into those waters.
Even from this non-fiction book, however, I can relish King’s story-telling expertise.
He has incredible recall of people, events and feelings from his early childhood. How does a 6-year-old remember three sets of ear lancings in such detail?
“Once again the pungent smell of alcohol and the doctor turning to me with a needle that looked as long as my school ruler. Once more the smile, the approach, the assurance that this time it wouldn’t hurt.”
I also like that Stephen King doesn’t mince words when he feels strongly about something.
Stephen King’s advice to novice writers is specific and non-yielding:
Read… a lot. Stephen King takes books with him everywhere.
Write a lot, preferably every day.
Treat writing seriously.
Good writing feels like a meeting of the minds between author and reader (King gives a superb demonstration of how this works in his chapter “What Writing Is.”)
Use vocabulary that fits the occasion – and don’t overdo it.
Nouns and active verbs rock.
“Said” works best for dialogue attribution, almost always.
King shows his teaching chops in the section on narration, description, and dialogue. He explains, gives examples, and makes these aspects of writing come alive through his instructive lessons.
While narration moves the story along, description creates the “sensory reality” for the reader, and dialogue brings life to the characters, plot isn’t a big deal for Stephen King. He doesn’t trust plot outlines because, as he says, “our lives are largely plotless.”
Do I hafta write?
King gives very specific examples to help writers understand the points he’s making. As a non-fiction writer, I found many takeaways in this book. Fiction writers will find a bonanza of excellent material here.
It all boils down to this question, “Do I hafta write?” Then.you.are.a.writer.
And you don’t need anyone else to tell you so.
On Writing is a highly regarded writer resource for good reason. Stephen King is a good teacher and he doesn’t stint on passing along what he knows.
Stephen King fans will enjoy the memoir aspect of the book. He openly discusses his early addictions and the 1999 accident that nearly ended his life. I hadn’t heard about either before and it seemed remarkable to me that he continued to write compelling fiction in either of those circumstances.
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