Linda K Sienkiewicz

Writing life, line by line

A Corgi Halloween

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I admit it -- I like to dress my Welsh Pembroke corgi for Halloween. My husband looks at our dog, shakes his head and says to her, "Clementine, have some pride." lol! She enjoys Halloween because she gets a treat and lots of attention from trick-or-treaters who come to our door. They often want to take her picture. I don't get crazy. Nothing constricting or uncomfortable and I always consider her … [Read more...]

What women want when speaking about sexual assault

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  Nearly every woman I know has told me about one or more times in which she was sexually assaulted, molested, threatened or raped, or they personally know someone who was sexually assaulted, molested, threatened or raped. I was molested as a child, most vividly by a stranger in Woolworth's in the 60s, and I am also a victim of date rape. I hesitated to tell anyone until recently, … [Read more...]

Birthdays After You Lose a Child

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I vividly remember the moment Derek was born. The doctor laid him across my chest and there he was, my first baby -- his round face like a pale moon, his eyes open and unblinking, his little body warm and wet, his heart beating against my bare skin. I won't ever forget his first smile, his first word (It was butterfly, and I have a witness), and his first steps in the wooded acre behind our … [Read more...]

How to Make a Book Purse

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I had been making purses from record album covers for a few years when a friend in my MFA program asked if I could make a purse from her book. I never had even thought of such a thing, but I thought "why not?" So I did some research, looked at examples of how other creatives made them, and came up with my own method. I made this book purse with a button and loop closure for my friend from … [Read more...]

Isn’t it Ironic? Words that Trip Me Up

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  A language fail is the worst kind of fail, especially if you're a public speaker or a writer. From Travis Bradberry's list of 20 commonly misused English words, these often trip me up: Ironic vs. Coincidental Bradberry writes: A lot of people get this wrong. If you break your leg the day before a ski trip, that’s not ironic—it’s coincidental (and bad luck). Also coincidental is … [Read more...]