old-fashioned typewriter on wood desk

Stood up, Walked Over, and Grabbed – Ways to Avoid Dull Words

Karin Kallmaker Craft of Writing

ON THE PAGE

Question: I saw on your daily notes that I need to stop using “grabbed.” I know you weren’t talking to me but I recognized myself anyway. How about an example? What’s wrong with stood?

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violin pegs and sheet music

Music: It Be the Language of Love

Karin Kallmaker Cheers & Chocolate, Craft of Writing, Frosting 1 - The Original, Maybe Next Time, Paperback Romance, Unforgettable

ON THE PAGE

Cover, Paperback Romance by Karin Kallmaker

Musicians hear tintinnabuli, tonality and hierarchical pitch delivered through the intersection of mathematics and sound. The rest of us hear music. Our ears, through the very human reaction of nerves and sensation, translate it to emotion. This is why I often write about music – it is the nearly universal experience shared by humans, animals and even plants. Read More

What am I Doing Wrong? – Part 2

Karin Kallmaker Finders Keepers, LIFE + STYLE

MyPyramidFood

Question – A follow-up, if I may. Why does heart rate matter so much? Am I right, do I have to choose between getting fit or losing weight?

It’s not easy to figure out the answer because different sources tell you different things depending on what the source believes is more important for scientific, medical or profitable reasons. Read More

group of women listening to a story

What am I doing wrong? Questions about Finders Keepers

Karin Kallmaker Finders Keepers, LIFE + STYLE

ON THE PAGE

Question 1: A year ago I read Finders Keepers and was so inspired by Marissa’s story that I embarked on my own get healthy program. I wrote you a while ago that I’d lost 20 pounds and was feeling great. But the last month I’ve started gaining weight back and I’m doing the exact same thing I was before. Help! You’re my guru. What am I doing wrong? What would Marissa do? Read More

One Blessed Thing After Another

Karin Kallmaker Cheers & Chocolate, LIFE + STYLE

ON THE PAGE

female figure happy

Since leaving home and the shelter of my father’s toolbox and fix-it-ness, I’ve lived in apartments, one older house and two new homes. I have preferred the new homes in spite of their generic qualities and my inability to ever finish decorating them. They don’t require relationships with repair people. Living in the Bay Area, with its extensive housing boom, means that there are fewer true handypeople around who want to repair what exists rather than rip it out and install new. Read More