The post with lines from Kaitlin's stories.

So I've been thinking. This is a writing blog. I talk a lot about books and the craft of writing, but I realized I've never actually posted any of my own writing. I don't want you guys thinking I'm some random poser, now do I? ;) I've been hesitant to post my own stuff because I worry that it's a little weird and self-serving to be like, "Hey, read my stuff and tell me how good I am!" even though I know that's not my intention. You're more than welcome to read the lines in this post and tell me they're awful. You just have to explain why. Then I'll thank you and make them better. That's how writing works.

Anyway, here are some tiny snippets from some of my past projects. They're more of one-liners than actual excerpts, so you probably won't get a huge idea of the stories. If any of them spark your interest, let me know. I'm entertaining the thought of doing posts about some of my short stories (possibly even posting the stories for you to read), so let me know if there's one in particular you'd like to see.

And now, without further ado...some of my favorite lines I've written.


"I watched the way the shoulder bones stuck out of her back like angel wings until she slid into her t-shirt." [Skeleton, Colbie observing a skinny girl in the girls' locker room] 

"I spent the night standing on my head. Forearms braced against the floor, legs touching the wall for balance. When all the blood rushed to my head, I didn’t need to focus on anything else. My yoga instructor warned me to go easy on the inversions. Just because you can flip upside down, she’d said, doesn’t mean you have to every chance you get. Yoga isn’t about proving something. But she was wrong. Headstands, handstands, they made me feel strong. And I needed everyone to know it." [Run for Cover, Sawyer coping with the instability in her life by doing yoga]  

To lighten things up a bit...
Orchid's mom: "Did you run into trouble on your walk home?"
Orchid: "You mean, did I fall down a well or get mugged by a squirrel? No."
[Keep Spinning, Orchid's strained relationship with her mother]

"I hate her abstract portraits--seeing myself as a red, blue, and orange face with smudgy eyes and seaweed hair freaks me out. It's like I'm made out of melted crayons." [The Big Mayday, Mia on her mother's portraits of her]

And last but not least...

"I overheard some girls saying the scar on Gwen’s shoulder is from a snake bite, a poisonous one. A copperhead snuck up and got her while she was lying around outside, maybe sunbathing on some rocks the snake had already claimed as its own. They said she sucked out the venom and spat it into the grass, but not before some of it reached her brain and made her wild. I’ve never asked her if it’s true. I think I’d be disappointed if it isn’t." [Red Flag, Annabel's image of Gwen, her neighbor]


That was less painful than I thought! Let me know what you think, I welcome all critiques (and compliments, if you so choose).