Dig deeper beyond the photo frame to tell your story — “A good snapshot keeps a moment from running away.” ― Eudora Welty May is National Photography month, so I’m drawing this month’s freewriting exercise from snapshots. I would describe myself as an amateur photographer and a great admirer of “real” photographers who understand the technical side of the art. I…

Do you have a few minutes for some questions? (updated March 2022) — “The world is so empty if one thinks only of mountains, rivers & cities; but to know someone who thinks & feels with us, & who, though distant, is close to us in spirit, this makes the earth for us an inhabited garden.” ― Goethe I love the community we…

A writer, one part content blended with one part creative — My name is Ellie Jacobson, which you probably gathered by the article title. I’m also part Irish so excuse my sarcasm. My life I grew up in the ’70s and the ’80s (the best time I tell ya!). I was born and raised by the most wonderful (not sarcasm) Mom with red…

My week in photos: May 8–14, 2022 — Last Sunday marked Mother’s Day in the US. I must say it was the most eventful Mother’s day morning I’ve ever had and hope to never have again. As I lounged in bed playing Wordle on my phone, thinking this was nice. The house was quiet. …

My week in photos: May 1–7, 2022 — I stopped posting my photo-a-day posts back in February. I must admit, I’ve been in a creative funk because of medication changes, getting Covid, starting a new job (an awesome job but still a new challenge), and imposter syndrome as I write my first book. Blah and blah. Frankly, I…

Six Word Photo Story Challenge: Kitty Freestyle — Benny, watch out for the lizard! The above photo is a still frame from a longer video I posted last week on my Instagram. It generated a ton of views and then one comment, “Is it just me or does the cat have a lizard on its back?” I was like “huh?!” I went back to…

Six Word Photo Story Challenge: Kitty Freestyle — Open window to a new world The sun has struggled to come out so far this spring in Minnesota, so Benny the kitty hasn’t had a chance to enjoy opened windows much (beyond brief episodes here and there in April). Yesterday we were all in heaven. The sun shone all day. I opened up a window…

Writing prompts across Medium-land to spark your creativity — Happy May everyone! Just a publication note, I’m changing the publishing timeframe for Sparks; instead of once a week I will publish every other Tuesday, along with a Freewriting Friday post every first Friday of the month. This summer I will be knee-deep (or maybe waist deep) in my MFA…

Writing, personal, fitness, family, and everything in between — “Focus on your goals, not your fear. Focus like a laser beam on your goals.” ― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart I think of each month as a reset, giving me a chance to refocus, making sure I’m heading in the right direction towards my larger goals. …