Friday, July 3, 2020

Memoir's Primary Argument--How to Make Sure Your Memoir Has Universal Meaning

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Cheryl Strayed, author of  Wild,  once said, "The most powerful strand in memoir is not expressing your originality.  It's tapping ...
Friday, June 26, 2020

Rest Breaks for Creative Artists--How to Get Your Mojo Back

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Perhaps you know these important signs of creative burn out:  an overactive inner critic, a blue feeling about one's work, a sense of de...
Friday, June 12, 2020

Anger and Grief and Their Place in Writing (an Actual Technique I've Used)

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During the height of the riots and fires, I sought ease in mind-candy movies.  One was  Tootsie,  from the eighties.  It kept me entertaine...
Friday, June 5, 2020

Jennifer Egan and Susan Choi on Productivity (or Lack of) during a Pandemic

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One of my writing students sent me a link to this wonderful podcast, perfect for our chaotic times--which have only gotten more so.  If you...
Wednesday, June 3, 2020

Writing through Anxiety--Write On! Video Featuring Author Shelby Kenney-Lang

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I love these videos from the writing school in Boston, Grub Street, featuring their instructors sharing techniques they're using to kee...
Friday, May 29, 2020

Unexpected "Container" in an Award-Winning Novel: An Interview with Ginger Eager

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Not just because she's a generous, insightful member of my monthly writer's group.  Not just because her book won the coveted AWP...
Friday, May 22, 2020

Using the Enneagram's 9 Personality Types to Create Vivid Characters in Fiction and Memoir

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No one likes to be categorized or typecast, but when it comes to creating vivid characters on the page, I find the personality system of ...
Friday, May 15, 2020

Unexpected Blessings of Writing by Hand: What Other Writers Find in Their Handwriting That's Not on Their Computer

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Do you know "BrainPickings," the online newsletter/digest put together by Maria Popova?  (If you don't, it's worth a look...
Friday, May 8, 2020

Creative Resistance to Hard Times--Guest Blog by Author Ellen Prentiss Campbell

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Ellen Prentiss Campbell's  Known By Heart: Collected Stories , appeared May 1 (Apprentice House Press). In 2016 her debut novel  The ...
Friday, May 1, 2020

Refining Your Writing Space for Sheltering at Home

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One of my favorite writing treats when life seemed normal was an afternoon at our local coffee shop. Surrounded by a dozen others, all plug...