Hope Darby Writings

I’m here, I am! I’ve not disappeared into the ether just yet. If only I could grab a few hours of sleep, I think my head might just spin around into its proper position, so that I may continue forward. For now, however, I am thoroughly enjoying my new musical crush, Jonathan Coulton. My buddy-buddy Sarah-the-painterbug posted “Skullcrush Mountain” on her art blog, I watched it, and immediately became enthralled with the giggles this fellow brought out of me Aaaaand, since... Continue to Full Post →

My adoration of J.K. Rowling continues . . .   From MSNBC.com’s “Wild About Harry” files: An 800-word Harry Potter prequel is one of 13 card-sized works to be sold at a charity auction in the British capital.   Waterstone’s Booksellers Ltd. says the cream-colored A5 papers — each slightly bigger than a postcard — were distributed to 13 authors and illustrators, including the boy wizard’s creator J.K. Rowling, Nobel Prize winner Doris Lessing, novelist Margaret... Continue to Full Post →

Scheduling interviews is absolutely nerve-wracking. You can write down every single thing you want to say, but then that leaves you sounding like a recorded message. Not a good thing when you’re actually speaking to the person. You can wing it, and wind up with fifteen hundred “Uh”s and “Um”s peppered throughout your conversation. Neither option conveys the impression that you are, in fact, a very good writer with a very legitimate reason for interviewing people. I have... Continue to Full Post →

I swear, I think the Sandman deliberately picks on writers, artists, and other creatively odd types. When I worked at a nuclear plant, rarely did I hear the roughnecks bemoaning their pitifully few hours of sleep. Nor did I hear very many CEOs mentioning their need to run to the drugstore on the way home, to pick up sleep-medicine. Sure, I heard them (and plenty of other folks in my different jobs) complain that they didn’t get enough sleep, or that they stayed up too late watching television... Continue to Full Post →

I know, I said I was going to go eat. I just had to post about this, and then I’m off, I promise. One of the most nerve-wracking aspects of being a freelance writer is the sending of query letters and then waiting on the all-important acceptance or (more frequently) rejection letters. The best way to keep a level head, or so my mentor has always told me, is to utilize the cliché, “No news is good news.” I’ve often thought that to be a daft way to look at things, but hey .... Continue to Full Post →

Or at least, I say hello I think I may have finally gotten this thing off the ground. Which isn’t to say it’s perfect, nor is it completed, but it’s close enough for me to not feel completely embarrassed to throw open the gates. If anyone notices a problem, please don’t hesitate to let me know. Oddly enough for a writer, I do accept criticism pretty darn well! Short and sweet is this post, but I am starving and hearing Willy Wonka playing in the living room isn’t helping... Continue to Full Post →

*sings* I weeble and I wobble but I don’t fall down! *stops singing to spare your ears* I have to admit, I was not expecting to get so bogged down in the design aspect of this site. I still have quite a ways to go, but I do believe that the right track has been found! One thing I have realized of late: website design seems to flow better after midnight and before 7am. Not quite sure why that is, but it has proven true. Off I dash to bury myself in lines of code yet again. Soon, though, I shall... Continue to Full Post →

I will be posting any calls for submissions and contests I stumble across in the “Calls for Submissions” category of the Archive. If you know of any that I don’t post, please email them to me, and I’ll put them up for everyone to see!  Read More →