We've all started, once or twice, with "Once upon a time," but even with that beginning, we usually don't use it until we know where we are going. The hard part about starting is that we often don't know where we are going and we make a lot of bad turns, enter a lot of avenues that don't go anywhere we want to go with … [Read more...] about Start Here, Part 2
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Start Here
I love notebooks and can hardly resist adding another to my collection when I'm in an office supply store. A new notebook is so full of possibility. Maybe this time I'll make the transition from glistening idea to actual story with no loss. I always start a new writing project with a new notebook and a new pen. Once I … [Read more...] about Start Here
When to Open the Door
My granddaughter, who is six years old, has decided she wants to play the ukulele and she wants her Mom to teach her. And she wants her lessons to be in her bedroom—with the door closed. She reminds me of some writers, me included, who, when we start a story, keep it in our pockets, in our bedrooms so to speak, with … [Read more...] about When to Open the Door
Writing Stories, Re-Writing the Landscape
Last winter the Iowa City Public Library put on a fund-raising auction for which people could donate items or their own time. I offered to donate myself reading a story. Sunday afternoon was the day. The purchasers brought brought their own children and some friends to a place south of Iowa City called Belgum … [Read more...] about Writing Stories, Re-Writing the Landscape
A Spaghetti Picnic
Our temperatures in Iowa have moderated to the point where it now feels good to be outside. And my thoughts turn to picnics. Some months ago I wrote about food stories--and I promised a few. Just to make good on that promise I want to share a picnic story. When I was growing up on the farm we did not take vacations. … [Read more...] about A Spaghetti Picnic
“We all go to the same silence.” Marilyn Nelson
Marilyn Nelson read here at Hamline yesterday and, during an informal discussion, said that we can grow our capacity for compassion and empathy by meditating. "We all go to the same silence," she said. And we were silent in thinking about those words. … [Read more...] about “We all go to the same silence.” Marilyn Nelson
