Posts by Lee Martin
Reunions: A Writing Prompt
It’s been a period of reunions for Cathy and me. Last weekend, Cathy’s side of the family gathered in our native southeastern Illinois. At breakfast, on the day we drove back to Ohio, a woman approached our table. She turned out to be the girl I dated in high school before I dated Cathy. Finally,…
Read MoreFor My Friend, Roy Bentley
Let’s be honest; sometimes we writers can be an insufferable bunch. We’re always talking about what’s gone well and what’s gone horribly wrong. We’re always currying someone’s favor. We can be boorish, loutish, whiny, and self-pitying. And all the while, our intention is to get someone to notice us and our work. We want your…
Read MoreThe In-Between
For some reason, I woke up this morning feeling particularly chipper. All morning, I’ve had the lyrics of the old Bing Crosby song, “Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive,” running through my head: You’ve got to ac-cent-tchu-ate the positive E-lim-i-nate the negative Latch on to the affirmative Don’t mess with Mr. In-Between It’s that Mr. In-Between that interests…
Read MoreOn the Outside: The Writing of Memoir
I never learned to swim. Unlike most country boys who learned when their fathers tossed them into a pond and they had to keep themselves from going under, I remained grounded. My father couldn’t do the tossing because, as many of you know, he had no hands to lift me, having lost his in a…
Read MoreLessons from My Seasoned Friends
This weekend, some former neighbors came to visit. We rounded up the old gang—a group who used to gather on patios and in restaurants just to enjoy one another’s company, which is exactly what we did last night. It was good to be back together with this crowd, to break bread together, to laugh, and,…
Read MoreTen Thoughts for Writers and Teachers
As I approach my 70th birthday (fewer than four months to go!), I find myself looking back at all the years of teaching and writing with an eye toward what I think I’ve learned. Here’s my list. I pass it along in case some of you might find it useful as you consider your own…
Read MoreQ and A: Details as Doorways
Cathy and I are back from a book festival in Louisville, Kentucky. We were delighted to catch up with an old friend and to make a new one. During dinner after the festival closed, our new friend asked a question: “What was an odd dessert you made for yourself when you were a kid?” My…
Read MoreUsing Questions to Write a Novel
My apologies for being late with this week’s post. I spent the weekend at a writer’s conference with my wife Cathy. I’d taught at this conference the past two years, but this time Cathy was a participant, and I was just along for the ride. I thought I’d take some notes about a new novel…
Read MoreThe Last Time
‘Tis the season of transition. High school students are graduating and moving on to the next phases of their lives. My MFA students are doing the same. Friends are moving, some of them to distant places. Yesterday, Cathy and I hosted a “See You Later” party for one such friend. It’s a sad occasion for…
Read MoreFirst Notice Everything
Each year when I see peonies in bloom, I think of what we used to call Decoration Day. Each Memorial Day, my parents and I drove from one country cemetery to another. We brought coffee cans full of peonies and irises. We filled the coffee cans with gravel. We wrapped them with foil paper. I…
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