occasional posts by risa aratyr
Risa Aratyr As best I can recall, my tools-of-the-trade got zero upgrades between college graduation (1975) and our first home computer (1982). During that period, the cheap ballpoint pen was my go-to in the writing department, like this Bic Crystal. Long-hand was my primary writing mode. My penmanship . . . I just realized that’s a sexist term. I … Read more Tools of the Trade, part III
When I went off to college, the fancy electric typewriter stayed home. Still, Dad did come through with a replacement. Was it something along the lines of this gorgeous 1970 Contessa portable? Was it this much more affordable option from Montgomery Ward? Nope. It was Grandpa’s old Underwood. And I mean old Underwood. Circa … Read more Tools of the Trade, Part II
I always considered myself a reader. I didn’t always think of myself as a writer. I liked to write, sure. I thought everyone did. Guess I wasn’t paying attention. It came as a strange revelation when I learned — in my late 30s, when I was writing/editing fer-reals — that not only were many not … Read more Tools of the Trade, part I
If the ms. is well-written, shouldn’t matter whether it was penned by Paul or Paula, right? But, of course, it does. We all know women do not get equal pay for equal work. We know unconscious gender bias is a real thing. We know that no matter their experience and qualifications, women over the age of … Read more What’s in a Name?
Why, I just shake the buildings out of my sleeves. [Frank Lloyd Wright] By early December it was clear we weren’t going to make our original, oh-so optimistic move-in target of Midwinter. For about a week we entertained the notion the house might be ready for us by early January. By early January, we’d revised our … Read more BE-COMING HOME: doors, floors and mores