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If You Have Five Seconds to Spare

~ Then I'll Tell You the Story of My Life

If You Have Five Seconds to Spare

Tag Archives: narrative nonfiction

Forward motion is what counts

December 21, 2020

I’m a slow writer. My first book, WE’LL BE THE LAST ONES TO LET YOU DOWN: MEMOIR OF A GRAVEDIGGER’S …

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I’m a podcast guest talking about Camilla Hall and the SLA

September 5, 2020

My colleague and friend, Amy Mattson Lauters, has started a new podcast called “Tales From the Midwest” because let’s face …

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Slow progress is still progress

July 31, 2019

My mantra when I run is “forward momentum.” As long as I’m moving forward, I’m going to complete a run. …

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A story revealed through census records

December 10, 2018

Ancestry let me know the other day that I had some documents to review and add to my tree. A …

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A most influential book, and a most influential teacher

July 18, 2018

This book showed up at my house a couple of weeks ago. It came from my friend John, who was …

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3-Act structure for nonfiction (Part II)

December 28, 2017

A good narrative twists and turns, and something changes from beginning to end. Photo Credit: daveynin Flickr via Compfight cc …

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3-Act structure for nonfiction (Part I)

December 26, 2017

How the 3-act structure looks for fiction (taken from https://www.nownovel.com/blog/three-act-formula-novels/). The 3-act structure is a common form for storytelling. Movies and …

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A short excerpt from my manuscript on Camilla Hall and the SLA

April 3, 2017

I don’t often post works-in-progress here, but I do get a lot of questions regarding what I’m working on now. …

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Two fall nonfiction Loft classes

July 21, 2016

I’ll be teaching two nonfiction classes at The Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis this fall. One is focused on narrative …

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We know the ending. So why do we read?

July 13, 2015

If you’re reading a novel and someone who has already read it talks about it, you might say, “Stop! I …

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Twitter Updates

  • RT @LisaEllisonsPen: #PitMad #A #Mem #MH After failing to prevent my brother’s suicide I want to die too. Hoping my heavy metal husband w… 14 hours ago
  • RT @AudreyBrashich: PREP x ALL GIRLS x WE RUN THE TIDES 15yo Cecilia lives on the UES, but her peers make clear she’s not 1 of them Then… 14 hours ago
  • RT @BarbH2014: 3 generations of demon-hunting women 2 determined demons 1 magical stone #PitMad #MG #P #F When 12-yr-old Audra “Murph” M… 14 hours ago
  • My narrative nonfiction manuscript explores one woman’s transformation from committed pacifist to domestic terroris… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 15 hours ago
  • RT @NellenStefani: Jelle, psychologist with imposter syndrome, manipulates his data to get tenure. When his fraud is about to be exposed, h… 15 hours ago
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Twitter Updates

  • RT @LisaEllisonsPen: #PitMad #A #Mem #MH After failing to prevent my brother’s suicide I want to die too. Hoping my heavy metal husband w… 14 hours ago
  • RT @AudreyBrashich: PREP x ALL GIRLS x WE RUN THE TIDES 15yo Cecilia lives on the UES, but her peers make clear she’s not 1 of them Then… 14 hours ago
  • RT @BarbH2014: 3 generations of demon-hunting women 2 determined demons 1 magical stone #PitMad #MG #P #F When 12-yr-old Audra “Murph” M… 14 hours ago
  • My narrative nonfiction manuscript explores one woman’s transformation from committed pacifist to domestic terroris… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 15 hours ago
  • RT @NellenStefani: Jelle, psychologist with imposter syndrome, manipulates his data to get tenure. When his fraud is about to be exposed, h… 15 hours ago
Follow @rachael18

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