I’m finding that my Loft online writing class isn’t taking as much time as I expected it would, which is a good thing. The Loft is obviously considerate of the fact that those of us taking its classes (especially the online ones) have lots of other obligations in our lives and need to fit our writing in where we can. I’m enjoying the class immensely and learning helpful ideas regarding plotting novels and stories, which…
Over the next couple of months, my blog may be on pause, and for very good reason. I have signed up for an online class offered by The Loft Literary Center and will be occupied with reading and writing assignments. The class is called “Crafting Plots and Endings” and it’s being taught by Michael Noll, who operates the Read to Write Stories blog. While I do plenty of nonfiction writing and have dabbled in short…
I finished reading “Imagine: How Creativity Works” by Jonah Lehrer last night. This is one of the books on my Year of Creative Reading list and I really, really wanted to wholeheartedly love it, but I can’t. I was well on my way to loving it, having written a blog post quoting a portion of the book. If I’m compelled to quote a book, it’s made a serious impression on me. While wrapping up the…
There are loads of books, blog posts, and web articles about ways to improve your writing. Google just returned 152 million results to the search query “how to improve your writing.” 743,927** of these online articles are listicles: 5 Simple Ways to Improve Your Writing – http://www.forbes.com/sites/dailymuse/2012/05/22/5-simple-ways-to-improve-your-writing/ 10 Quick Tips to Improve Your Writing – http://grammar.about.com/od/developingessays/a/quicktips.htm 21 Ways to Improve Your Writing – http://www.writingforward.com/better-writing/improve-your-writing 8 Simple Scientifically Proven Ways to Improve Your Writing – http://www.fastcompany.com/3023616/work-smart/8-simple-scientifically-proven-ways-to-improve-your-writing…
The slaying of twelve people, many of them journalists, at the offices of Charlie Hebdo, a satirical French newspaper in Paris, has come as a psychic sucker punch to me this week. It is hard enough for writers and artists to fight the general negativity of society and their own self doubts in order to find their voices and speak their truths within their work. The threat of violence, let alone actual violence, can be…