You’ve probably heard that old expression, “The longest journey starts with a single step.” That’s an apt description of my publishing journey. But, in my case, the journey started with a single pedal stroke. After I graduated from the University of Michigan, my parents gave me $500 to spend in any way I chose. I…
Looks like my book manuscript will be at the editor’s office until early April. She told me that she’ll be taking her time and doing a thorough edit, and I’m good with that. So, now what? I’ll sum things up in one word: Bookification. If you’ve been following this blog series since I started it…
Three posts ago, I talked about the process of marrying my book’s words with the pictures. I’m pleased to report that they’re officially married and off on their honeymoon. Where are they spending it? At the editor’s office. You’ve met the editor before – last October, I introduced you to her. As mentioned previously, she…
Good news! My book’s photo selection process is almost done. Is it time to don the party hats and break out the noisemakers? Not yet. The photos that made it through those multiple rounds of selection still have to fit into a larger book layout. They also need introductory copy and captions. In short, there’s…
In my previous post, I discussed the difficulty of thinking about my words and pictures without imagining how they will appear in page layouts, and how those layouts will flow as the book progresses from beginning to end. I went on to note that, as much as I’ve tried to keep design out of my…
Now that the photo selection is done, it’s time to join my book’s pictures in holy matrimony with the words. This week, I’ve been figuring out how to work the photos that support the narrative into their proper places within the manuscript. This process sends me right back into wordsmithing mode, because most of these…
Just finished meeting with my mentor, and hark! She helped me summit Photo Selection Mountain. Let me tell you, the view from this peak is amazing. In my previous post, I said that I didn’t think that our photo selection process would take more than an hour. Wrong. During previous meetings of this type, I…
The good news is that I can see the summit from here. However, I still have more climbing before I can plant my flag atop Photo Selection Mountain. I started by shooting thousands of photos for my urban nature book project. Then I winnowed them down to 530 that deserve consideration for inclusion in the…
As mentioned during previous posts, I’m working on a book about nature in the city. In preparation, I have shot thousands of photos, most of which are from my yard. Will all of them make it into the book? No! My cycle of shooting and selecting involves four personas: Excited Martha! I just shot some…
Now that my book writing process is coming to an end, it’s time to take a look at what’s coming next. As mentioned in this post, I’m also shooting the book photos. The final photo selection will happen within a month to six weeks. Check two hats — writer and photographer — off the list….
Here’s the thing about urban birds: They seize our built environment and use it for their own purposes. Fence tops, utility poles, overhead wires, and electrical equipment, they’re all fair game. In 2018, I had rooftop solar installed, and I’m pleased to report that my grid-connected 1.7-kilowatt solar electric system generates 150-400 kilowatt-hours a month….
NOTE: This post features the second of the three themes of my forthcoming book. I covered the first theme, Nature and the Built Environment, last week. Here’s the answer to the question that’s on every desert gardener’s mind: How do you water it? My gardening water comes from three sources: Our local utility, Tucson Water….
During the past couple of decades, I’ve learned a lot about water harvesting and landscaping in an arid environment. In my forthcoming book, I’ll share key insights with you. Here’s a preview: Xeriscaping 101 My initial foray into water harvesting was motivated by a desire to save on the water bill more than anything else….
There are some times when I feel like I miss all the good stuff. Must be something left over from my childhood, when I was utterly and totally excluded from the Cool Kids’ Table. The finish of this year’s Tour de Tucson felt like that. A pack of riders flew toward me, I got a…
In my forthcoming book, I’ll elaborate on these three themes: Nature and the Built Environment. Nearly all of the photos in this book are from my yard during 2018-2022. Nowadays, it’s a mature environment, but it hasn’t always been that way. It had to be created from scratch, and that was a project that involved…
In last week’s post, I established my reputation as the meanest photo editor west of the San Pedro. In other words, I’ve been shooting thousands of photos for my book, but I’m only planning to include a few dozen. What types of photos will be lucky enough to be granted admission by Mean Ole Martha?…
In last week’s post, I noted the challenge of getting the words right, and the people who are helping me do that. Well, there’s more to this coffee table book than words. It’s also going to feature my photography. How many photos have I shot? Thousands. How many keepers? That number is approaching 500. How…
During a 1958 interview with George Plimpton, Ernest Hemingway talked about writing — and rewriting. Plimpton asked Hemingway about the amount of rewriting he did, and Hemingway replied, “It depends.” Hemingway went on to explain that he took the ending of A Farewell to Arms through 39 rewrites before he was satisfied. What was the…
There’s nothing like being a first-time buyer during a housing bubble. That was the challenge I faced when I started house hunting in June 2003. A severe inventory shortage – combined with skyrocketing prices – turned my search into an ongoing series of frustrations. Then, in October 2004, I found a cute little brick house…
When I was in my early twenties, I set the goal of bicycling through all 50 of the United States. It only took 12 years – and more than 15,000 miles – to reach the finish line. That happened during a predawn thunderstorm outside Las Vegas, Nevada. Along the way, I met such on-the-road challenges…
While I was in high school, I made a discovery that would change my artistic life. Simply put, I just wasn’t good at drawing or painting. Sculpture? Forget it. Ceramics? Meh. Printmaking? Nope. Photography was a different story. Almost immediately, I felt like I was born to do it. In photography class, I was introduced…