Conversations with Jessica

On the Importance of Having a Skill Set

We are driving around running errands. Jessica is listening to me sigh as the traffic is funneled down to one lane and goes slowly. Me: They’re doing so much road construction! Maybe they should finish one project before they start another, you know? Jess: They are building bridges in Kansas City. I saw them with…

On what I’m working on

I’m working on a novel in a genre that’s new to me and it’s not going well partly because I don’t know what I’m doing (see “genre that’s new to me”) and partly because Jess is back at school and isn’t here to keep me off Facebook during the workday. Jess: What did you…

On the signs of spring

We are sitting on the patio, drinking tea and Diet Coke. Jessica: There is a robin. Me: Yes. Oh, the other day I saw the fattest robin ever. Jessica: Really? Was it like that robin there? Me: Well, it was a robin shape, you know. And it was a robin color. But it was the…

On the limits of poetic license

Jessica (looking over my shoulder at a blog post): That is not exactly what we said. Me: You know, someday I’m going to win a Pulitzer and you’ll be telling the committee, “It didn’t happen exactly like that.” Jessica: Yes. For example your hair is not that curly. Me: I exaggerate it for effect. You…

Conversations with Jessica, illustrated

Me: OMG! If I see the word “whoa” misspelled as “woah” one more time, my head is going to explode. You know, I don’t mind when it’s laypeople on Facebook, but when someone who calls herself a writer— Jess (looking at a blog posting I recently made): You misspelled “lavender” here. You’ve got one too…