Writing Samples:
The following samples are copyrighted ©
2004-2008 by Karen J. Gordon. Reproducing any of this content is strictly
prohibited without the author's consent. To read the complete piece or inquire
about reprint rights please e-mail Karen at
kjgordon@karenjgordon.com
A Stitch Held In Eternity
(This essay appeared in The Knitter's Gift anthology)
by Karen J. Gordon
This is wrong. Not acrylic. Natural fibers.
Cotton and wool. Those will decay more naturally when exposed to the weather.
Not acrylic. I want her little body to be wrapped in something natural. And so
on and so on went my thoughts one brisk November day in 1993 as I sat on the
edge of my two-year-old daughter's bed ripping out four days' work on her
burial blanket. She was asleep next to me, breathing deeply, an activity which
took up most of her time in those last few days of her life.
Healing Theresa: A Mother's Story
(This essay appeared in Reiki Magazine
International)
by Karen J. Gordon
I can vividly recall the evening I stood beside my young
daughter's crib with my hands resting lightly on her back as she slept. She
was in a period of decline from the leukemia, and I was being careful to not
disrupt her much needed rest. The tears were streaming down my face as I felt
the Reiki energy flow and I quietly chanted, "Oh please, oh please, heal my
daughter." Immediately I felt as if a giant, warm blanket had been placed over
my shoulders, and I kept my hands on her as a silent voice in my own heart
spoke to me.
"Healing is not synonymous with cure. Reiki heals, but that
does not mean that Theresa won't die. It's not up to you, Karen. It's
Theresa's life, and the Reiki energy will go where it needs to go...."
My First Sale
(This essay appeared in Writing For Dollars)
by Karen J. Gordon
I was sweeping my kitchen floor the morning the call came
in. Nonchalantly, I answered the phone thinking it was my sister, my mother, a
friend—anyone but the editor of my local newspaper, The
Oregonian.
"Is this Karen Gordon?" The voice was
unfamiliar.
"Yes, it is," I said blandly, sure it was yet
another telephone solicitor.
My heart beat harder than usual when I realized
it wasn't. I listened in shock as the editor introduced himself and said he'd
received my essay.
"I like your idea," he said. "The topic is
timely and you offer a different slant on the subject. I'd like to publish
this in next week's paper."
My idea. Accepted. Published. The editor. On
the phone. With me. My thoughts came to me in broken bits, and I had to take a
deep breath before I responded. He was treating me like a writer, and I knew I
needed to respond professionally. But could I? Did I have the right to pretend
I was a writer? What if he found out I wasn't? Could I practice what I
preached and fake it 'til I made it?
The Finishing Up Year
(This essay appeared in Betty Magazine)
by Karen J. Gordon
A tarot reader once told me that forty-nine is
a finishing up year, a time of preparation for the next half of your life. As
I spent my 49th year finishing up my second divorce and beginning an extensive
remodel of my home, her words of wisdom sparkled over me like glistening
pearls of truth.
Two years before, I didn't even know I wanted
to end my marriage. I didn't have it marked on my calendar as an upcoming
event; it wasn't a goal I was trying to achieve. In fact, my highest priority
during that sixteen-year relationship was to have what I called a Donna Reed
life, an intact family with a mom, a dad and kids based on an old TV sitcom
from the 50s...
The Three C's: Confidence, Courage and Clips
(This article appeared in The Blue
Review)
by Karen J. Gordon
I know you! You've been writing one thing or another for
years: poetry, short stories, letters, e-mails, notes jotted down on scraps of
paper. Writing has been one of your main means of self-expression for most of
your life. But something has changed. You're beginning to feel a burning desire
to see your name in print. You want to be published and get started on that clip
file you've heard so much about. You know other writers who sell their stories
and articles. You even believe your writing is as good as theirs. But you? Why
would anyone buy your work?
