Category Archives: General

Writers and Depression, Part One

When I was in high school studying writers who were part of the canon at that time, I was struck by the fact that the women writers we learned about (the few women: Emily Dickinson, Sylvia Plath, and Anne Sexton) … Continue reading

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Writer’s Toolbox

I have been exploring useful writing sources, as you could probably tell last Friday, which focused on iTunes.  Here’s another source. Ever wish there was a magic toolbox to help you with your writing?  Well there is one, and it’s … Continue reading

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The Power of Language

“I have found over the years that my work has more courage than I do.  It has more wisdom.  It teaches me, leads me places I never knew I was heading.  And it is about a new way of living, … Continue reading

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What Does “Working” Mean for Writers?

The advice is to work at your writing every single day, but what does that really mean?  We usually thinking of working as either writing, editing, or researching, but there are other ways to work.  Eric Maisel, a psychotherapist who … Continue reading

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Saving the World

Recently, I wrote about writing to change the world (actually the title of Mary Pipher’s book), about using your writing – even fiction and poetry – to make people think, to share insights, to provide truths the best way we … Continue reading

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Using Writing to Settle Scores

Writing in the first person can trap the writer into airing grievances.  When I taught writing I spent a lot of time trying to convince young writers that, while literature is an art, it is not a martial art – … Continue reading

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Pace, Part 2

Check out my BookPleasure article, “Pace, Part 2.”

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For the Ladies

Mark your calendars for the Ninth Biennial Southern Women Writers Conference at Berry College in Rome, Georgia, this September 20-23, 2012. From their website:Since its inception in 1994, the Southern Women Writers Conference has been devoted to showcasing the works … Continue reading

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Good Writing is Instinctive

Good writing is often instinctive – if we get quiet enough, the poem or story seems to come through us, instead of being directed by us.  But how do you get to a point where that can happen?  We are … Continue reading

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Throw out Your Writing

As writers, one of the most difficult things we can do is to get rid of some of our writing.  We have completed the draft of our story; but as we cull through it, deciding what to keep and what … Continue reading

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