The days when the words come easily are gifts. They are the moments when the writer is free from whatever distracts her. They are the times when the words pour forth – not necessarily good or perfect words but words that can be shaped and turned into something worthwhile. They are words with potential. Such days are rare. They are to be received with gratitude and purpose. If such days are rare, the writer should take advantage of them. She shouldn’t rest in the feeling of clarity; she should act upon it. She should write and write and write until her hands can do no more.
Write Right’s SXSW Survival Tips
I thought I’d give people a head start for next year’s SXSW with some survival tips. Without further ado, Write Right’s twelve tips:
[Read more…] about Write Right’s SXSW Survival Tips
SXSW Recap
I’m writing this post prior to the end of SXSW with the intention of scheduling it after the madness of SXSW ends, but I think I’ve gained enough of an understanding of how the thing works. At least, I’ve gained an understanding of how to navigate SXSW as a business person. My key takeaway from the whole thing is to be flexible with my time and to be intentional in meeting both people I know and don’t know.
Keeping a Journal in the Twenty-First Century
Today’s post is by Evelyn Lauer. Evelyn and I were classmates in graduate school. She also helmed the online journal Front Porch. She is a gifted poet, a talented editor, and a wife and mother.
Journals are in again.
Wreck This Journals are especially well-known. If you’re on Instagram, check the #journal feed and you’ll see what I mean: Hundreds of pictures of Wreck This Journals are posted by teens and preteens.
[Read more…] about Keeping a Journal in the Twenty-First Century
Write Right: Of versus Have
I confess: I stopped reading a blog post the other day because the author wrote “could of” instead of “could have.” It’s one of those errors that stops me in my tracks. The part of me that is an ultra-critical editor comes to the fore. It begins to nitpick other small errors in a post. I usually decide I have had enough of my critical sensibilities and leave a post before I can become unreasonably irate.
Why Do You Obsess about the Writing Rules?
“Why do you obsess about the writing rules?” The question wasn’t phrased exactly like that, but it was asked of me. I was asked why I’m concerned with the writing rules.
I had to pause before answering. The rules are so innate (even though I don’t and won’t ever know them all) that I can’t recall when I became fascinated with them. I know they weren’t always a part of it; like anyone else, I had to learn the building blocks of sentences. I learned new spelling and vocabulary words, diagrammed sentences, memorized prepositions. Even then I enjoyed the way words sounded and the way they could be put together to form sentences, paragraphs, and stories. Did the rules become a part of my writing life during those years?
[Read more…] about Why Do You Obsess about the Writing Rules?