Tag Archives: writing prompts

Writing on Writing: Finding Your Voice

Ages ago, one of my college professors told a creative writing class, “Nothing ruins writing like going to college.” And while it’s true that the endless grind of essays and term papers can lead to a stilted, overly academic, view … Continue reading

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Writing On Writing: The Nest

You might be wondering what magpies have to do with writing, exactly. To be honest, I’m not altogether sure myself, but I’ve started this thing, so I’m sure I’ll come up with something. Let’s see, birds, birdsongs, feathers, feather your … Continue reading

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Writing on Writing: The Audience is Listening

Just the same as nobody writes in a vacuum, nobody writes for a vacuum, either. Nobody writes for the sake of not being read. Nobody–at least no one that I know–writes something with the fervent hope that it’s overlooked or … Continue reading

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Writing on Writing: Let’s Dish.

The dishwasher is the bane of creativity. Just my personal opinion, mind you, but one based on years of evidence. Seeing neatly regimented rows of mugs, bowls, dinner plates and silverware represents lost opportunities; for me, there’s no better time for … Continue reading

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Writing on Writing: Permission Slip

Sooner or later, it happens: you’ve read a lot, or listened to hours upon hours of music, or seen enough paintings to fill the MoMA twice over, and a thought comes to you: I could do this. That spark, when … Continue reading

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Writing on Writing: Discipline

Discipline is never an end itself, only a means to an end. –Robert Fripp Last week’s assignment, for those of you scoring at home, was to write three paragraphs a day, every day. Like jogging, biking, or any other kind … Continue reading

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Writing on Writing: The Prepared Observer

Chance favors the prepared observer. –Marcel Duchamp One of the problems you’ll run into, if you haven’t already, is the “writer’s block” dilemma. The reason for last week’s assingnment, besides getting you outside your comfort zone, is because most of … Continue reading

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Writing on Writing: Silencing Your Inner Bastard

Last week’s assignment was to write something awful. Not merely bad, mind you. I’m talking truly horrid. In case you’ve spent the last week fretting over the point of that little exercise (I know you weren’t; play along for a … Continue reading

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