The Writing Craft
-
Another ‘Bad Mother’ Memoir
As the daughter of a bad mother, I admit that I am drawn to memoirs in which a child dishes dirt on a parent. When I saw the title of Molly Jong-Fast’s recently published book How to Lose Your Mother: A Daughter’s Memoir, I suspected that, like Jennette McCurdy in I’m Glad My Mother Died, Continue reading
-
Charting a Writing Path
My daughter Sarah once told me, “You can solve any problem if you make a chart.” I have tested that claim several times. I’ve been testing it lately as I work on an e-book project on the essentials of good writing. What is good writing? How do writers achieve it? I am hoping to offer whatever wisdom Continue reading
-
Please Don’t Grab Me with Your Hooks
A quick Google search for websites that offer advice to writers reveals a popular adage. Writers must “grab” a reader’s interest with their writing. And they should do so by including a “hook” that captures and holds their reader’s attention. I propose that these concepts of grabbing and hooking are detrimental to the relationship that Continue reading
-
Writing Prompts, Revisited
In my previous post, “Wondering What to Write About? Try These Prompts,” I listed ten writing prompts that I have offered my creative nonfiction writing students to help them overcome their anxiety as they approach a blank page. Sometimes writers need a nudge from outside of their own minds to get them started. A prompt Continue reading
-
Put the Person on the Page with a Collage Essay
Try this. Consider that subject about which you have had trouble writing. A difficult experience, a problematic person in your life, an emotionally challenging circumstance. That subject that you want to write about, but when you try, the writing turns out dull, awkward, or lifeless. Yes, you know the subject. Rather than trying to write Continue reading
-
Update on the 25,000 Words of Winter Challenge
Today is the deadline for my writing challenge. I’m both disappointed and happy to report that I was able to write 19,000 words. Disappointed because I didn’t reach my word count goal, but very happy about the writing that I completed during the challenge. And I believe that I benefited from this experiment in a Continue reading
Do you write about yourself and your experiences? Do you write about traumatic events in your life? Or, do you struggle to find time and motivation to write?
If so, this blog is for you.
Person on the Page 