Writing and Life
Memoirs revisited — what are your favorites?
I just finished reading a memoir that I mentioned a couple of weeks ago: “Crazy for God,” by Frank Schaeffer, son of the late Dr. Francis Schaeffer, a religious evangelica/fundamentalist who was instrumental in forming much of today’s “Religious Right” Movement. Fascinating, honest book. Frank Schaeffer, author of the memoir, tells an honest, compelling story […]
Got that Lamott book from the library — I’ll give you a review when I’ve read it
I mentioned a day or two ago (who keeps track of the time??) that I was on the library’s waiting list for Anne Lamott’s newest book about spirituality and faith, “Grace (eventually),” and that I expected to get it in a week or so.
I was wrong. The good folks at the library came through today.
Unfortunately, […]
Any of you read Anne Lamott’s newest book yet?
I love Anne Lamott’s writing about writing. I thoroughly enjoy her writing about religion and personal faith, too. Her latest book, “Grace (eventually): Thoughts on Faith,” is about religion and her personal faith.
If you’ve read ANYTHING by Anne Lamott, you know calling her “unconventional” is a major understatement. She’s definitely someone who has lived, thought, […]
One person’s tools may be another’s ‘toys’ — how do you relax, recover from writing sessions?
One person’s tools may be another person’s toys, right? My wife loves to work in our large, somewhat overgrown backyard when she has some spare spring and summer moments — so I bought her a rechargeable electric week whacker for Mothers’ Day. Wasn’t that just special?
(For those of you who are concerned about how we […]
Amazing story of family of 19 — not really related to writing, just found it amazing
I’m sure you’ve heard of this truly amazing family in Arkansas with 17 kids, haven’t you? In fact, they were on the “Today Show” yesterday (Friday) with the revelation that child number 18 is expected on New Year’s Day. (Part of the humor in the announcement included Mother’s Day presents from the kids. Several of […]
What’s your favorite writing method? Longhand or computer? What music helps you write?
From time to time I have written about various sorts of software for writers, and I even told you about my favorite text “tool,” the little AlphaSmart Neo keyboard, which might be the handiest, niftiest little word processor in the world.
Personally, I sometimes enjoy just sitting down with just a couple of bic pens, a […]
Where did those words come from? Why did you choose them?
My son asked me a question much like the title of this post while he was watching me write some years ago. He was about seven or eight years old at the time, I think, and he really surprised me with such an unusual question. (He’s a grown man now, has an engineering degree, and […]
I haven’t asked for awhile — what fun writing gigs have you found lately?
It’s always fun, from time to time, to swap “war stories” with other writers and enjoy a chuckle over the odd or just plain fun things happening in the writing life. What sort of fun or unusual writing gigs have you been doing lately?
Whether it’s a totally freelance project you’re doing or something you’re doing […]
I’ve never paid much attention to ‘ergonomics,’ but I do now
My manly “machismo” probably is driving this statement: Worrying about how and where I sit while writing on my computer has always seemed silly to me. “Real men” (and “real women”) can pound those keyboards anywhere and scoff at such silliness as “ergonomically correct” workstations or whatever.
Wow, I have changed that attitude completely in the […]
Blogging, writing to sell, writing to entertain — who’s your audience?
Whether you’re writing a real estate ad to plug office space Connecticut style, blogging about how to sell on eBay, or writing the middle section of that novel you’ve been working on over the years, you must always consider your audience.
For that reason, I posted here a few days ago inviting comments and feedback about […]
Wow, where have I been for the last few days? Spring catching up with me, I guess
Welcome back — to myself.
I guess the busy-ness of the season, the alternating cold weather and torrential, tornadic downpours — it’s a conspiracy, I tell ya, a conspiracy to keep me offline.
Okay, I’m not the victim of any conspiracy except the conspiracy of time and events we call life. Since I work at maintaining and […]
What’s your favorite quote from Shakespeare? You do at least occasionally read him, don’t you??
If nothing else, every writer out there needs to read Shakespeare at least occasionally for the rich link he provides to the past of our language and English culture. Just as everyone who really wants to be a writer in the English language also needs to read the King James Bible.
So what are your favorite […]
When did it become so common to ‘put your [fill in the blank] on steroids’?
Funny how cliches creep into the language, isn’t it?
I was looking at some stuff related to steroids — yes, I am a baseball fan and, yes, opening day is very soon — and realized as I searched Google that the expression “put you … on steroids,” meaning something like “make your … spectacularly, gigantically, great” […]
Anybody interested in a forum for the writers and bloggers hanging out here?
I’ve always given some thought to setting up a forum for writers and bloggers to share their questions, answers, and tales of woe and whoopie. Problem is, there are millions (yeah, maybe really millions) of forums on the Internet for blogging and/or writing. What could I offer that isn’t already done frequently and done better […]
Back to the basics again: Get organized, schedule your time and writing wisely
In a recent post, we discussed the importance of organization and scheduling your writing efforts. I came up with a revolutionary way that works for me. It’s called a pocket organizer or calendar. Yes, truly “revolutionary” because it’s so “low-tech” in our world of computers and gadgets.
I don’t care whether you own the latest, cutting […]
