Category Archives: humor

Down “Write” Funny – Dad’s Blarney Stone

Posted on June 19, 2016 by Betsy Norman

In honor of all dads this Father’s Day, I’m posting an old story I found while cleaning out my file cabinet. This childhood memory was published years ago in a long-defunct zine. The writing isn’t as polished as it should be, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Blarney Stone, Down Write Funny, Happy Father's Day, humor, Ireland, Irish, parenting, wisconsin | Leave a comment

Down “Write” Funny – Where Do Babies Come From?

Posted on June 1, 2016 by Betsy Norman

Writers refer to their WIPs as “babies.” I mailed my baby out today. I sold my baby! An agent told me my baby was ugly. If you’re a writer, you understood every single one of those sentences. If not, … Continue reading →

Posted in #proudmama, babies, coffee, Down Write Funny, gestation, humor, labor, mai tai, motivation, parenting, stork, WIP, wisconsin, writing | 2 Comments

Down “Write” Funny – Cleaning Out the Pyramids

Posted on May 25, 2016 by Betsy Norman

So, since the decision to make the big move, I’ve been rampaging through my closets and tossing anything that doesn’t make the “Do I really want to pack this?” cut. This has resulted in six trips so far donating bags … Continue reading →

Posted in curb, Death Cough, Down Write Funny, editing, funny, humor, landfill, Luxor, motivation, packing, patookies, Pyramid, soap, spawn, St. Vincent, The Doobie Couch, writing | Leave a comment

Down “Write” Funny – Opportunity Knocks

Posted on May 4, 2016 by Betsy Norman

How often does Opportunity knock? Real. Tangible. Life-changing Opportunity? Once. Twice. At least. A dozen times if you’re lucky. What is Opportunity? In the writing community it could be The Call. A multi-book contract. An agent offers rep. NYT Bestseller! In … Continue reading →

Posted in Down Write Funny, funny, humor, karma, motivation, opportunity, wisconsin, writing | 6 Comments

Down “Write” Funny – Mentorship

Posted on February 1, 2014 by Betsy Norman

So, I fancy myself a bit of a mentor. *snort* Okay, so I blow a lot of smoke out of my cake-hole and pretend it’s important manna from writing heaven. It’s called fake confidence. I have loads of it. If … Continue reading →

Posted in #proudmama, Brainstormers, Down Write Funny, funny, humor, Mentor, mentorship, motivation, Uncategorized, writing | 6 Comments

Down “Write” Funny – Here Comes the Judge!

Posted on January 17, 2014 by Betsy Norman

I’m a mama bear. Definition: Shit on me all you want. I have broad shoulders and I know how to flush. However, shit on my spawn, and we got problems, buddy. This is what happened. Gazelle Girl works out at … Continue reading →

Posted in #proudmama, Down Write Funny, funny, Goals, humor, Iron Uterus, judge, judgment, karma, man-sack, parenting, publishing, spawn, Squirrel!, truck balls, writing | 4 Comments

Down “Write” Funny – So 2013 wasn’t The Year

Posted on January 3, 2014 by Betsy Norman

So 2013 wasn’t The Year. Wasn’t My Year. Oh. Well. That doesn’t mean I’ve quit. (It may mean I’ve been lazy, but this isn’t a confessional, so blah.) I had a lot of bright, shiny moments in 2013 that kept … Continue reading →

Posted in 2013 is THE year, Down Write Funny, funny, Goals, humor, motivation, publishing, Uncategorized, writing | 8 Comments

Down “Write” Funny – How Does Band Compare to Writing?

Posted on November 30, 2013 by Betsy Norman

So I’m trapped at yet another one of my spawn’s high school required viewing events. This time, it’s a band concert. I’m scrunched into an auditorium chair clearly built for teenage bodies, playing with my phone like every other parent, … Continue reading →

Posted in 000 hours, author, funny, Goals, humor, malcolm gladwell, marching band, outliers, parenting, publishing, spawn, Uncategorized, writing | Tagged band, down write funny, funny, humor, malcolm gladwell, outliers, practice makes perfect, spawn, writing | 3 Comments

NaNoWriMo Land – Repost

Posted on October 26, 2013 by Betsy Norman

I posted this last year – thought it might be worth a revisit to kick yourself (and me) in the pants. Enjoy! NaNoWriMo. No, I’m not saying “Hello!” from the planet Ork. NaNoWriMo is short for National Novel Writing Month. … Continue reading →

Posted in author, cheaterpants, Down Write Funny, funny, Goals, humor, Little Goals, motivation, NaNoWriMo, newbie, spawn, Suck, writing, yippity skippity | 2 Comments

Down “Write” Funny – My Cheaterpants Link of the Week

Posted on March 15, 2013 by Betsy Norman

I’m going to cheat this week, because I am a lazy, lazy cheaterpants who needs to be working on taxes and judging contest entries and edit/polishing my manuscript, and I just don’t have the damn time already to come up … Continue reading →