What works and doesn’t work in nonfiction
It’s no secret, I love nonfiction. I read a lot of nonfiction books, essays, and literary journalism. Here are some …
Category Archives: Writing
A surefire way to blend scene and reflection in essays
The hallmark of an effective memoir or essay is the blend of scene and reflection, or the “show AND tell.” …
A researcher’s dream
This is Cheryl and me. Cheryl lives in Taos, New Mexico, and I visited her in early June. Cheryl and …
How do you work? Cluttered or clean?
I find this quote attributed most often to Albert Einstein. My home space is cluttered, and my mind definitely feels …
The beauty of persistence
Back before I had a book to my name, I would see published authors and feel this intense need/want to …
Who cares what I write?
This passage caused me to pause and reflect. I get wrapped up in my own writing; of course it’s interesting …
Do you succumb to envy?
This essay by Erika Schickel in L.A. Observed received some flack when it first came out years ago. In the …
Happy birthday, Camilla
This is Camilla Hall. Today would have been her 76th birthday. She was an artist, a social worker, a gardener, …
What some writers have in common with the Backstreet Boys
I heard a conversation the other day regarding the relationship between writers and their readers (aka the “audience”). And this …
How to generate ideas for memoir
Photo Credit: MarkGregory007 Flickr via Compfight cc I distinctly remember writing an essay in a writing workshop and then thinking, …
