Concentrate on the Why
Students often ask if I think they have the talent to write their story. I’ve never met anyone with a desire to write who didn’t have a love for words. Lifelong readers have been training themselves to become a writer since they first learned to read. If you have the desire to write, just write. Start getting the words on the page. Don’t worry about the how, think about the why of your story. Why do you want to tell this story? Why do you think others might benefit from hearing it? Concentrate on the why and the how will follow.
Read MoreMemoir Class for Minnesota Writers
If you live in Minnesota, I have a few memoir writing classes coming up that you might be interested in. Along with my Writing in the Pines Retreat this weekend, I will also be teaching at the following locations in October: The Loft Literary Center, Minneapolis Saturday, October 1, 2011 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Beginning Memoir: Finding Your Story phone 612-379-8999 for information MacRostie Art Center, Grand Rapids Monday, October 3, 2011 from 1-4 p.m. Beginning Memoir: Finding Your Story phone 218-326-2697 for information Pine City Community Ed, Pine City Tuesdays 6-8 p.m. (Classes meet October 4, 11, 18, and 25) Memoir Building Blocks phone 320-629-4030 for information If you have friends in the Minneapolis, Pine City or Grand...
Read MoreAdvice on First Pages
I love this quote from John Irving — When in doubt, or wherever possible, tell the whole story of the novel in the first sentence. Are you stuck on the first page of your story, unsure of how to proceed? I’m going to give you some advice that may seem odd: write your first page after you have finished your story or book. Radical? Perhaps. But writers often don’t know what they are writing about until the book is almost finished. One of the requirements of a good first page is that it must point the reader in the direction the story will take. If you haven’t developed your novel or memoir completely, you just might miss something you really need on that first page. Write the first page as a rough draft and then move on. As you continue writing,...
Read MoreWhat Beginning Writers Should Know
I ran across this link on a friend’s facebook page and just had to share it. Ira Glass,a famous story teller, gives some great advice for beginner writers. It’s very short, but packs a huge message. Enjoy!
Read MoreTime to Write!
This morning there was frost on my windshield. Instead of filling me with dread, I had a feeling that things would begin to happen. When cold weather comes, my instinct is to hunker down and work at my desk. In the two weeks since my youngest son started seventh grade, I have made and completed quite a few lists. The quiet of the house inspires me to make every minute count. I have been writing and sending out class proposals for winter/spring dates. What does the cold weather inspire in you? Now that the summer distractions have left, are you back to your writing desk? If you need a jump start to get you writing again, I have two classes coming up in the next weeks. On September 23rd and 24th, I will be teaching at Pine Needle Quilting Company in Pine City....
Read MoreSubmit to Cell Poems
Here’s a great new way to write poetry, 140 characters or less. Click on the link below to find out more! http://cellpoems.org/submit/ Submit to Cellpoems In her poem “Poet’s Work,” Lorine Niedecker said that there was “no lay off from this condensery.” We’re looking for poems that demonstrate the fruit of such labor; strange, profound, weird, and memorable language condensed into 140 characters or less. Please use the online submission form.
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