Patricia J. Murphy

In today's mail, I received the sweetest fan letter from a 5th grade girl all the way from Scottsdale, AZ., and it made my week!

As part of a class project, she had to write to a company, an organization, or a person who she admired--and she chose ME! (more…)

As a children's author and writing workshop facilitator, I have the honor and privilege of working with elementary and middle school children. And, through my work, I have learned that spending time with each of these groups can be as different as brussel sprouts and chocolate sauce.

On their best days, elementary school and middle school children can be more alike than different. They want to be loved, accepted, admired, and respected--and will treat you the way they like to be treated. But on one particular day this past week, well, I observed and experienced glaring differences between the two, and I wanted to share them with you. (Please know that these comments are NOT in any way to say that ALL elementary or middle school children are this or that way--or all time. Also, please forgive me if any of these offend you. This is not my intent!) (more…)

I love school visits. Yes, even the-swarm-of-butterflies-in-my-stomach-before-I-start-presenting-in-the-cafeteria-gymnasium-atorium-after-wiping-ketchup-off-tables-dealing-with-multiple-personalities—and-last-minute-changes-just-seconds-before-I-am-to-begin-giving-kids-(who-need-them)-gentle-reminders-to-be-good-listeners-wishing-I-could-remind-some-teachers-of-the-same--making-mental-notes-to-underline-and-star-the-clause-that-reads: “teachers-need-to-intervene-when-kids-misbehave-because-I-don’t-discipline-kids”-in-my-contract-for-next-time-moments.

I really do. Because all I have to do is look into those sparkly eyes in front of me and know that I am in the right space (or should I say the "write" space?) and the right time to (hopefully) inspire little writers to write and to love writing.
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American Sculptor, Louise Nevelson (who is the subject of an upcoming book of mine*) once said, “If you have creative work, there is no age or time.”

Although I have these words hanging on my quotation wall in my writer’s studio to remind me of this, I’ve had three recent experiences when I wished that I had them embroidered on a hanky or tattooed on my chest so I'd NEVER forget. (more…)

For Julie Powell, it was Julia Child. For me, it’s Julia Cameron, the author of THE ARTIST’S WAY, who has helped me sharpen a few pencils in my writer’s tool box.

Sure, I've attempted, albeit unsuccessfully, to do her prescribed MORNING PAGES every day. But, I have found one of her other creative "prescriptions" even more delicious than Julia Child’s Bruschetta (page 223) in Mastering the Art of French Cooking--it is her "artist date."

As you may or may not know, Cameron insists on weekly dates to "fill the artist" by committing to “a two-hour block of time set aside to nurture your creative consciousness or your inner artist." I call it two hours of pure bliss. Well, if/when I have gotten around to going on them religiously as she suggests. But, I haven’t always had (or made) the time to schedule dates (literally and figuratively) with anyone in my life lately. This year, however, is going to be different, on oh so many levels. (more…)

I am starting to blog again. I know. You don't have to say it. You are as excited about this as I am. I can tell.

In order to get rolling again, I am going to post some earlier blog entries from my old blog that never really went live. Forgive me. I can sometimes have a shy side. I'm serious.

But, 2010 is going to be different for me and for you. I can feel it. So, I'm going to blog about that, too.

See you soon. I promise. PJM

Don't you love stores that have OPEN signs? It's simple. You know when they are open and ready for business--and when they are not. When a sign is flipped to the OPEN side or switched on to OPEN, you can walk right in. No questions asked.

I thought the other day when I saw an OPEN sign flickering at a gas station that it be grand if we all had open signs to show if/when we were OPEN, too. (more…)

Mine would say Patty Jean or something fun like that. My first name is after all Patricia and my middle name is Jean.

I've never liked my middle name much, but I've learned to embrace it since it was chosen by my father after learning on the glorious day of my birth that he was going to be the father of twins. (They only had one name and one middle name picked!)

So, Patty Jean would be my pick--different than my byline and what others normally call me. With it, maybe, I could pretend to be a mysterious woman from the south. (more…)

Writing Never Eat Soggy Waffles was a most memorable experience. While my memory is like an elephant's and I don't normally use mnemonics, researching and writing this title gave me new ways to remember all sorts of unrelated things without taxing my already busy brain. (more…)

Everywhere you look, you can’t miss the “CONGRATULATION GRADUATES!” and “HAPPY GRADUATION!” signs. And, as I’ve seen each one of them, I got to thinking about the last time I actually “graduated” from somewhere or something.

Sure, thoughts gravitate to my own graduations—junior high, high school, college—and most vividly graduate school. In fact, I can remember the crisp, cloudy, June day that I posed for snapshots in front of the Horizon Center (now, the Allstate Arena) after receiving my masters degree like it happened last week.

But, after picking up the mental confetti and the streamers of this nostalgic parade, my thoughts turned to the other definitions of the verb “graduate” like “to change gradually or by degrees” or “to advance to a new level of skill, achievement, or activity.” I asked myself, “When was the last time you did one of those things?” (more…)