Over the past week, I’ve had two Fiction through Prompts library workshops. The attendees are loyal and consistently filling the room, which is so gratifying. There’s nothing worse than putting on an event and having no one show up. There’s something rather cool happening. As so many in this group of writers returns session after […]
Category: Writing
NaNoWriMo has Begun
The Brothers Karamazov
I’ve once again tried to read The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsky. The writing is simply amazing, but I just can’t get past Part II. All of the religion preaching that happens is untenable to me. I recoil and cringe. I’ve tried several times to plow through this, thinking and hoping that beyond Part II there will […]
Meeting for Two
Tuesday was another Writer Workshop meeting with just two of us. I have moments when I question everything in my writing/teaching journey and when folks aren’t showing up at events I question. And, then, I remember that workshops are about the work. With just 2-4 people in the room at any given meeting the work […]
Another Submission
So, after licking my wounds for a few days (barely, but sort of) I’ve sent another piece of flash fiction off to the editors of the literary journal I dream of having a piece published in. I’m sticking to my plan. If this one gets rejected, I’ll send them another. If this gets accepted, likewise, […]
Another Rejection
Traditional Publishing
During today’s session of The Writer Workshop an attendee working on her second book asked about traditional publishing. She’d been offered a contract from a publisher and wondered what it meant to be an “indie” publisher. Well, isn’t that a ball of worms. There doesn’t seem to be a standard definition of what it means […]
Just Kids
I just finished listening to Patti Smith read her book, Just Kids. I love life journey stories. I love hearing how people I respect and admire traveled to the place that I (along with millions of others) got to discover them. This is the story of Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe and how they became those […]
Lists
I facilitate a grant funded class at the Gibson Library in Henderson, NV, called Fiction Writing through Prompts. They added the word “Writing.” We spend a bit of time learning about a literary device–today’s device was diacope–and then we spend 20 minutes writing to a prompt from Kitely’s excellent book, The 3 AM Epiphany. Today’s […]
Being an Artist
I continue to think about this idea of being an artist. I look everywhere for inspiration–ideas are never an issue. But, feeling inspired to keep going, to keep making art, that can be a challenge. I’ve embraced the Artist Date, thank you Julie Cameron for The Artist’s Way. So much good has come into my […]