Linda McHenry

Author: Linda McHenry

  • Writing Exercises

    Writing Exercises

    Last week, I mentioned I’ve been dabbling in flash fiction as part of my regular writing exercises. This week, I’m on a roll creating short pieces using prompts. This piece is the quick result of using the following five words/phrases: soccer ball, sidewalk, car, blanket, hot coffee.

    At this moment, I’d rather do anything than chase a soccer ball around a field, kicking at opponents and crashing into teammates.

    Sidewalks are much more conducive to civilized ambulation than grassy fields are. Who in his right mind wants to dash around beneath the scorching sun–on display like an energetic version of a roasted chicken on a spit at the grocery store? Yes, instead of turning in at the gates, I believe I’ll stroll past the field today and engage in a more cultured form of exercise.

    Hmm. Now that I’ve decided to play hooky, I think I’ll bundle myself up in the back seat of a car–complete with a flannel blanket and a cup of hot coffee–and allow myself to be chauffeured to the beach instead.

    –Pele, on a bad day

    What writing exercises do you use?

  • 3 Updated Resources for Insurance Professionals

    As anyone who attends my insurance CE webinars knows, I love to share new and updated resources on a variety of insurance topics. Many are subjects of the classes I develop, write, and teach. Others simply catch my interest.

    Here are URLs to 3 different resources I stumbled across recently and thought you might find interesting.

    2023 Guide to Cannabis Markets

    The Insurance Journal magazine provides a wealth of information not only in its magazine but also on its website and via free newsletters. In its 2023 guide, you’ll find carriers that offer insurance programs for clients in the cannabis industry, information about proper dosing for edibles, and other tidbits. You can also subscribe to free newsletters that focus on topics that include Insuring Cyber, Health & Benefits, Agencies for Sale, Research & Trends, Property.Casualty Products and Services, and more.

    InsurTech Center

    Insurance Technology is transforming our industry. Don’t fall behind when it comes to understanding and implementing tools that will help you grow professionally. PropertyCasualty360 is a great print magazine and online resource that addresses a tremendous number of subjects. Its InsurTech Center has separate areas on its website devoted to, among others, Artificial Intelligence, Analytics & Data, Information Security. You can register for newsletters here.

    Insurance Fraud

    Although I shouldn’t be, I’m constantly amazed by the creativity employed by fraudsters. The Coalition Against Insurance Fraud has a great website that includes scam alerts, excellent detail about how insurance fraud works, free webinars, and podcasts.

    Did you know that scammers posing as life insurance agents are scouring obituaries and then approaching grieving individuals after their spouses have died? Here’s the deal: The fraudster claims the deceased spouse purchased a huge life insurance policy ($1 million or more) and wanted to keep the policy secret. However … the most recent premium needs to be paid before the grace period expires if the deceased spouse/beneficiary wants to submit a death claim. Obviously, there is no policy. Click here for scam alerts and other highly beneficial information.

  • Flash Fiction and Short Stories

    Flash Fiction and Short Stories

    My hiatus from blogging is now at an end, thank goodness, and I’m dabbling in different types of writing–including flash fiction.

    Since November, when my life got a little crazy for a while, I completed a novel and sent it off to a number of agents and publishers. It’s receiving good reviews but not good enough to convince a publisher to buy. Yet.

    I’ve begun a new novel, have returned to writing short stories, and am having a lot of fun creating flash fiction. I’ll be submitting some of the shorter pieces to publishers and sharing others here on my blog.

    Here’s the first installment of flash fiction. I used a prompt for this piece, which included writing for a total of 10 minutes: 2 minutes each for:

    • A mint
    • A flower
    • A pair of shoes
    • A calendar
    • A phone

    Tea Party

    The tea tasted awful–like the spearmint leaf floating on top had been soaked in motor oil before being brewed–acrid and brown rather than perky and green.

    Perhaps Lorna had allowed the plant to flower, sucking from the herb most of its tingly flavor and imbuing it, instead, with a tang reminiscent of a pair of shoes worn without socks in the middle of summer.

    I pulled up the calendar app in my phone and entered a note: Do NOT revisit Lorna’s house for refreshments.

  • What is Creativity?

    What is Creativity?

    What is creativity, you ask? Here’s the best description I’ve heard:

    “Creativity can be described as letting go of certainties.”

    Gail Sheehy

    Enough said. Back to the keyboard…

  • 5 Reasons Why I Hate Halloween

    5 Reasons Why I Hate Halloween

    Call me a killjoy, everyone else does. But first, listen to the reasons why I hate Halloween:

    Why I Hate Halloween: Reason #1

    Candy. I’m not a fan.

    Especially once I saw the little crispy rice thingies in the Nestles crunch bar moving. Talk about disgusting. I’ll bet a cheapskate had some leftover candy the previous Halloween and “forgot” to look at the expiration date.

    Reason #2

    The dark. It scares me.

    Probably because of the creepy-crawlies that populate the night, like the ones my brothers told me about when we were kids. The snake that lives under the bed and wraps itself around your arms and legs if you let them hang off the mattress. The gnome who lives in the crawlspace and comes out after you go to sleep. Unless you make sure the case your parents’ 78 records are in is sitting right on top of the hatch to the crawlspace.

    Reason #3

    Costumes. They never come with good shoes.

    The one and only costume I ever enjoyed was the princess dress in … second grade, I think. It came accessorized with a genuine tiara and glass shoes! Okay, so the diamonds were really rhinestones, and the glass heels were really made of clear plastic. Seriously, though, I’ve never found another costume like that one. Never.

    Reason #4

    Trick-or-treating. Refer to Reason #2.

    If this foolish activity were conducted at dawn instead of dusk (I’m a morning person), I might have a completely different take on Halloween. But it doesn’t. Because I don’t do the candy-begging thing, I stay home when Michael takes the grandkids around. This year, my sidekick for the past ten Halloweens (a big black cat named Murphy) is doing his thing in heaven, so I’ll be working solo answering the ringing doorbell. It’s tough to read a good book when you’re interrupted every four-and-a-half minutes by squealing goblins.

    Final Reason Why I Hate Halloween

    Black. Orange.

    I don’t care what anyone else says, these two colors simply do NOT go together.

    RIP, Murph