Linda McHenry

Category: Writing

  • Book Babble and Insurance Payoff

    Book Babble and Insurance Payoff

    Learn all about Lindaland and my two new monthly get-togethers: Book Babble and Insurance Payoff. If you’re a writer or insurance professional, why don’t you join me?

    Looking Backward

    The past couple of years have been a time of discovery for me, as I stepped away from working full-time in the insurance industry. Now, I’m spending my time:

    • Writing. I finished one novel and am working on another. I’ve also written several short stories and a few insurance textbooks.
    • Teaching live insurance continuing education webinars 3 days a week for BetterCE.
    • Offering training/consulting services.

    I gained some podcasting experience during this time, and you can find short videos on YouTube at Taking the Mystery out of Insurance and The Writer’s Voice playlist. I also created and hosted Craft Chat, a live monthly video meeting where unpublished members of our writer’s organization met with me and another published writer to ask their questions about the craft of writing.

    This coming October I’ll celebrate my 50th year working in the insurance industry, and 2024 marks my 18th year as a published writer. These two industries I love have provided me with the ability to support myself and my family while also allowing me a creative outlet and the ability to realize a personal dream.

    The Here and Now

    Now that I have some time on my hands, I fully intend to have fun and I invite you to join me!

    What I liked most about my podcasts and Craft Chat were the interactions with people who share my interests. Sharing our unique perspectives and experiences was uplifting and, in many cases, inspirational.

    What I liked least was the technical work bringing the podcast conversations to a finished product and limiting my Craft Chat participants to members of my writer’s organization.

    To use an old Romper Room saying, I put my thinking hat on. Then, I grabbed the magic wand my friend Lois McElravy gave me, waved it over my head, and promptly came up with two brilliant ideas. (Okay, I admit, there was more to the process than that!)

    Moving Forward

    I’m now hosting two monthly Zoom meetings at Lindaland: Book Babble and Insurance Payoff. Regardless of which meeting you attend, the setting is one for us to gather, chat freely about topics of interest/concern to us, and support each other.

    • Book Babble – for writers of all genres, published and unpublished
    • Insurance Payoff – for insurance professionals

    I also envision these meetings as offering potential matchmaking opportunities. No, not for romance, silly! But for:

    • Writers who want to connect with possible beta readers, critique partners, and other writers who can help with those craft challenges.
    • Insurance professionals who are seeking access to new markets, refreshing sales ideas, and other industry representatives who can broaden their horizons.

    For more information visit Lindaland on my website.

  • I am a Tiger

    I am a Tiger

    I am a tiger: lying lazily in my cage, watching life march by.

    Soft and cuddly, warm and furry, colorful and bold–catching your eye.

    Lumbering and slow, yet fleet and fast when in danger.

    Pacing back and forth, twitching my tail, impatient in anger.

    Loud and fierce, roaring in pain, scaring you away.

    I am a tiger: dozing lazily in my cage, keeping life at bay.

    -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?

  • Flash Fiction and Short Stories

    Flash Fiction and Short Stories

    Attempt at Flash Fiction

    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…