The Best Writing Advice I Ever Got
Today I’m sharing with you the one piece of advice that was the key to me becoming a writer. Many years ago I took an online travel writing class taught by Richard Goodman, and one essay he posted rang a bell with me: Wake up and write. Richard's essay helped me realize that writing first thing in the morning [...]
Writing Exercise: Practice Dialogue – The Singing Cab Driver
Many years ago I took a writing class in which the instructor asked us to eavesdrop on a conversation in order to practice writing dialogue. One way to bring a person to life on the page, to capture their personality, is to capture their voice. I didn't like the idea of eavesdropping and procrastinated. Eventually I did go to [...]
Writing Exercise: Color List – Pink
Since my color list for green was a success, I've decided to create, with your help, one color list each month. The idea remains to come up with nouns that make you see that color without you having to mention it. So if I say "peony" - what do you see? Pink, I hope, even though peonies do come [...]
Note from Charlotte: Visiting Niki de Saint Phalle
Last weekend I was in Charlotte, NC for the alumni conference of the Queens MFA Program in Creative Writing. I made a point of swinging by downtown and the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art to see their outdoor exhibit of sculptures by Niki de Saint Phalle. I've been a fan of her work ever since I first saw an [...]
Writing Exercise: Sounds of Rain
What words to use describe the sound of rain? We had terrific rains this morning in Chicago, the kind that darken the sky at eight in the morning. Since I love the sound of rain, I started to think about words that capture that sound: That pitter patter on the pavement, that pouring out of the rooftop spout, [...]
Reading: Envying Gerald Durrell
If you're ever looking for a break from dark and heavy memoirs and want to read one that is light yet literary; or if you wouldn’t mind spending time on a sun-drenched Greek island but don’t have the time or means to visit, then read Gerald Durrell’s memoirs about his childhood in Corfu. My memoir group and I were [...]