Posts by Lee Martin
Creating 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…
Read MoreThe Writer’s Garden
Today, Cathy and I put our garden down for the winter. We harvested our turnips, picked the last of the lettuce, and told our plot we hoped to see it in the spring. It was a good year for the garden. From spring lettuce and radishes, to bush beans and tomatoes and peppers and cucumbers,…
Read MoreThe Body Writes a Narrative
My wife Cathy has a sore throat. She’s tested negative for COVID, so more than likely she’s just got a little bug that will run its course. Of course, I’m worried that little bug will hop on over to me. The possibility of this happening has me thinking about my own history of maladies. When…
Read MoreSmall Facts
On Friday, my wife Cathy retired after forty-seven years as a healthcare professional, and on Saturday we celebrated with a gathering of friends. It’s a bittersweet time for Cathy. As ready as she is to move on to a new chapter of her life, she’ll admit to a touch of sadness over leaving her work…
Read MoreBegin with the Details: Writing Memoir
Down a lane off County Line Road in Lukin Township, Lawrence County, Illinois, a pile of rubble, which used to be the farmhouse where I lived with my parents, lies surrounded by briars and weeds. Some years back, one of the giant maple trees I remember from my childhood fell on the house, and it…
Read MoreGet Yourself Unstuck
Has this ever happened to you? You’re in the midst of a piece of writing, and you’re trying to maintain your momentum by working on it each day. Then the day comes when you realize you’re stuck. You can’t go on. You sit and stare out the window. You check your email. You get up…
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