Last night I dreamed that I was getting married. My female relatives, young and old, were gathered all around me. It was a consummate summer scene in a fragrant apple orchard with vivid green grass and brilliant blue sky. Instead of a frothy veil, I wore a simple crown of daisies in my hair. This […]
Posts in the writing category:
Write from Passion. Write from Pain.
When I began writing my memoir, it was a bonfire burning brightly, my fingertips hot on a keyboard that had never revealed my thoughts or memories. To anyone. I looked down upon my small-child-self from a bird’s eye view, flying low, watching the small child whose introversion was created by responsibilities and fear. The small […]
Writing the Body of the Book
Every morning I brew Folgers-nothing-fancy in my headboard bookcase so that I can begin writing fresh from my dreams. Pajamas or nearly naked, depending on the season. Darkness or daylight, depending on the moon. Before I feed my dog and cats. Before I rummage in the pantry for breakfast in bed. Before the bald eagle […]
Willpower
Willpower is not my strong suit. It’s not my weakest weakness, but I could do better. What are the biggest weaknesses in my willpower folder? Writing and Reading. Writing should not be an issue for a writer. When I get these ideas in the middle of the night, when I awaken with my teeth clenched […]
Inspired by The New Yorker. Writer needs forever home. Adoption listing.
Meet Linda. She came to us with a BFA and MFA, but sadly, these degrees were not in Creative Writing. Her shame for advanced degrees in a field outside of writing has left her cowering in self-doubt but she no longer piddles when addressed in a loud voice and rarely bites back—providing she is given […]
Meditation on One’s Calling
Clearly, for me, May has been a month of false starts and unfinished business, crossroads, and decision-making. Let’s try this blog post again. 🙂 Every Friday morning, I park my vehicle under a large Kwanzan cherry tree in a parking lot a couple blocks away from the Senior Center. With its fragrant double blossoms, it’s […]
American Writers Museum
Today is opening day at The American Writers Museum in Chicago IL. Actually I didn’t even know that it was being assembled until page A13 in this morning’s Wall Street Journal. According to the review by Edward Rothstein (Critic At Large), the AWM has been created at a “sensible” cost of under $10 million: its […]
Writing, Breathing, Thinking
Writing, breathing, thinking—emphasis on “thinking”, and not necessarily in that order—are the essential elements of a writer’s waking hours. Lately I’ve been filling out Writer Residency applications, and this especially leads me to a lot of thinking about writing and why I write. I look at the notes—my notes, my opinions—that I’ve written in the […]
Find Your Past in Your Present
It has not been an easy month. I noticed this morning that I have seventeen unfinished drafts of blog posts. Four of them were written in the last thirty days. There they sit, waiting for another day. On the bright side, I also noticed that when I least expect it, I find a relevant moment […]
How to Tell a Damn Good Story
Pat Conroy said, “The most powerful words in English are ‘tell me a story.’” Imagine our ancestors sitting around the glowing embers of a dying fire, the fire reflected in their eyes, their rapt attention inspiring the storyteller to go deeper and deeper still. Storytelling surely has instinct and intensity in primal roots and gut […]