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What Are You Risking?
We begin today with this famous quote from Robert Frost: “No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader.” We start here because I often read technically proficient pieces that don’t resonate because the writers haven’t left any parts of their hearts in them,…
Read MorePressure in Narratives
I teach in an old building that’s long had its problem when it comes to heating and cooling. Last Tuesday, we had heat in parts of the building but not others. Also, something had happened to cut off electricity to the elevators, so they weren’t working. Then, overnight, some pipes burst, and we had…
Read MoreThe Writer’s Vision: A Prompt
We’ve started a new semester here at Ohio State University where I’m teaching both a fiction and a creative nonfiction workshop. Last week, I found myself talking to students in both workshops about the importance of finding material that’s uniquely theirs. When I was a young writer, it took me some time before I figured…
Read MoreUsing a Single Memory to See What You Can See
My Aunt Gladys, my mother’s sister, died in 1961 when I was five years old. I’d never really known her because she lived in Germany where her husband was stationed, lived there, that is, before she was diagnosed with lung cancer and the U.S. Army allowed my Uncle Duane to transfer to Washington, D. C.,…
Read MoreStronger at the Broken Places
Here in central Ohio, the last day of 2023 is overcast and cold. When I moved here from sunny Texas in 2001, I had no idea the winter days would be so gray. I grew up close to the same latitude in southeastern Illinois, so I thought the weather in Columbus would be similar. It…
Read MoreCreating Memorable Characters
Cathy and I spent last week cleaning some things out of what used to be her parents’ house in Illinois. In the process, we came upon several old family photos. I love looking at old photographs even if I don’t know the people in them. The photos take me into a time period in the…
Read MoreKeep Doing the Good Work
I write this on a very overcast, raw day here in central Ohio. We’re coming to the end of the Autumn Semester at Ohio State, and I’m thinking of what it takes to keep going when we’re writers. After all, there are so many valid reasons to stop. I fear the students in my literary…
Read MoreStanley and the Christmas Tree: A Lesson for Writers
A few years ago, Cathy and I bought a flocked, pre-lit, Christmas tree. It’s a beautiful tree, one Cathy had always wanted, and I was glad to be able to get it for her. A few weeks ago, we adopted an orange tabby kitten named Stanley. (I’m sure you can see where this is going.)…
Read MoreStart Small: Writing Memoirs and Personal Essays
This will be a brief post since it’s about small approaches to writing difficult material. That’s exactly what I’m doing now. I’m writing a memoir about something very personal and often times uncomfortable. I’m giving myself an hour each morning to write a small section. Unlike my usual strategy of telling a story from beginning…
Read MoreA Personal Wish This Thanksgiving
I didn’t do a blog post last week because I was away from home, teaching in a very busy writers’ residency. Now that I’m back with my family—the lovely Cathy and our orange tabby, Stella the Cat—I’d like to announce the addition of a kitten. Stanley is another orange tabby, and Stella is slowly coming…
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