Journal Prompt: Full Moon, Sept 30-October 6
The moon waxes to full this week, bringing us into a time of great energy and mellow ripeness. Autumn comes in, and the winds rise, ridding us of lethargy and heaviness, doubt falls away. We again are able to see the good in all things, the revealed silver lining.
The [...]
Journal Prompt: Waxing Moon, Quarter Moon, September 23-29
Autumn is here. Season of storage and scurry. The trees let go and cast off into their winter sleep, hibernation we can’t comprehend. Insects keep up their last and latest choirings. In my own household, our duties our limited: we have five pumpkins to harvest before the frost [...]
In the first post in this series featuring my interview with Laurel Yourke, poet, novelist and nonfiction writer, and a writing instructor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Division of Continuing Studies, we discuss resistance to critique, and the most common mistakes Laurel sees among beginners (telling instead of showing) and more experienced writers (maintaining momentum [...]
In the first post in this series featuring my interview with Laurel Yourke, poet, novelist and nonfiction writer, and a writing instructor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Division of Continuing Studies, we discuss resistance to critique, and the most common mistakes Laurel sees among beginners (telling instead of showing) and more experienced writers (maintaining momentum [...]
Laurel Yourke is a successful writer in her own right, which makes her commitment to teaching a particular boon to those of us who have had the opportunity to work with her through the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Division of Continuing Studies. Here, Laurel shares her insights on the most common errors she sees from fiction [...]
You don’t have to be a writer.
Keeping a journal, the practice of writing down what’s on your mind (could be dreams, could be the view of your back yard, could be childhood memories or conversations from last night) is for anyone. Not just someone who wants to be “a [...]
Journaling can risk navel gazing. It can become repetitive. Having a focus outside of ourselves aids new perspective and allows more air onto the page.
We occasionally overlook the moon, our city lights are becoming so bright. The stars have almost disappeared for many of us. Foreign and familiar, constant and ever changing, the moon is [...]
I met first Sarah Busse through her poetry. I had the great good fortune to be a first-round judge in an annual poetry competition sponsored by the Wisconsin Academy of Arts and Sciences. In reading the nearly 1,000 poems entered, a few really stood out, including all three that Sarah entered. Last April, when the [...]
In an earlier post, I mentioned that I don’t make New Year’s resolutions that relate to my writing. But I do plan projects I’d like to complete during the year. Last year, one of the projects I planned was to start this blog. I explored lots of blogs, read some “how to” books, tackled the [...]
In addition to getting ready for Christmas, this is the time of year when I contemplate a New Year’s resolution. In the past, I’ve resolved to do everything from losing weight to writing at least 1,000 words per day, every day. As my mother sometimes says, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
Because, [...]