Conflict writing happens in every story, every movie, every book. Without conflict, there is no tension, and no reason to turn the page. Weak writing is a list, an inventory of boxes to check, instead of personal involvement. What’s the difference?
WORLD STAGE: PLAYING MANY PARTS AT HOME
April 24, 2020 by
The world stage for Shakespeare was a different world than we live in today. “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts. . .” Is the Shaker talking about multiple personality disorder? No, but he […]
STORY TIME STORY WITH DAVE, OR IS IT DAVID
April 1, 2020 by
Story time begins with tradition. What tradition, you ask? All good stories begin the same. They might still be good stories, but not classic Story Time. Once Upon A Time:
HISTORIOGRAPHY: THE HISTORY OF HISTORY AND WHO GIVES A GOOD RIP
February 20, 2019 by
I saw a question on twitter, a summary of a question a history grad student asked their advisor. “Who will read my thesis besides you?” The answer they got back: “No one, because it won’t matter to anyone else but you and us.” The unnecessary slam the professor included? “Put a ten dollar bill in […]
Health Writing? Start With Cancer And Drill Down
July 27, 2018 by
Health writing is about bringing hope to the afflicted. Cancer writing, not so much. One is about the future and the steps to make it better. The other is layered with dread. One is about improving conditions, about personal bests, about gains; the other is layered with dread. Health writing brings nutrition, […]
TRUST THE PROCESS FROM THE START
January 29, 2018 by
Starting a project, a diet, a savings plan? Trust the process. The first day is all magical. One screenwriter said a days work at the beginning of a new script means putting a title on a piece of paper and putting it in a drawer for tomorrow. Cutting carrots follows a […]
CANCER ROOM: BEST OF TIMES, WORST OF TIMES
November 22, 2017 by
The biggest motivation for writing a cancer room memoir like ‘LICKING CANCER, The Full Response’ is paying tribute to the people I met in there. From staff to patients, it’s a team focused on the same goal, until it goes off the tracks, and it does in one way or the other for everyone. […]
WRITE YOUR STORY SOONER THAN LATER
February 14, 2017 by
You can handle your frightening truth, so write your story. Writers inspired by Inspirational Writers lean toward inspirational writing? It seems natural. Buying Gabriele Lusser Rico’s Writing the Natural Way felt just as natural. Who doesn’t need ‘A Course in Enhancing Creativity and Writing Confidence.’ I know I do. I feel more creative […]
STORY ARC, LIFE ARC. SAME THING?
February 13, 2017 by
You can hold a story in your hand, but it’s better on the page. It’s funny how a picture explains everything if you let it. A life arc begins and ends, birth and death and all the stuff in between. But unless you commit to the thousand words a picture might […]
