Monthly Archives: May 2015

Superlatives–another approach to memoir

Anyone who’s taken a creative writing course has likely been assigned the task of relating their most embarrassing moment. For the non-writers, the opportunity probably occurred during an evening with friends or at a younger age, at a sleepover or maybe … Continue reading

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Tension: We’ll be right back, after this…

Tension is (or should be) a writer’s stock in trade. It’s what causes readers to stay up late to “finish just one more” page, scene, chapter, part, or volume of your epic–be it fiction or something else. Tension is shorthand for … Continue reading

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Countering the memoir’s kiss of death

When talking to my students (and clients) about their memoirs, I notice we all tend to avoid the 800-pound gorilla in the garret: boredom. Sadly, far too many of the memoirs being produced today suffer from this condition. They just … Continue reading

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Just focus, right? Oy.

I’m supposed to be doing a series of blog posts about memoir writing. All I have to do is dole out insightful, inspiring, useful, and easy-to-adapt advice on the tricky art of telling one’s very own story. Easy-peasy, right? Sure. … Continue reading

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I don’t wanna push it, but….

  Getting behind, for me, is inevitable, damn it. I’ve got lots of stuff to do, and when it comes to saying “No!” to new projects, I suck harder than the Atlanta Braves in the post season–and coming from a die-hard Bravos fan, … Continue reading

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