Tag Archives: writing activities

Help! I want my short writings to cohere into something publishable!

A question my clients and students often ask: “What can I do with all the bits and pieces I’ve written?” If you’ve written to prompts over a number of years, you may feel like you’ve written quite a bit without … Continue reading

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Inspired by Taylor Swift: The Eras Writing Prompt

Last post I wrote about how Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concert in Glendale last weekend made me think about the challenges of writing about our past selves. And that made me remember a writing prompt I created a while back … Continue reading

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Alyson Shelton & the Strange Magic of “Where I’m From”

This week I joyfully participated in Alyson Shelton’s “Where I’m From” project.” I’d describe the process of filling the blanks of George Ella Lyon’s “Where I’m From” poem as a Mad Lib that jettisons you straight into the heart of your family legacy. I absolutely loved writing the poem and had fun talking about it with Alyson on Instagram Live–a part of Instagram I’d never travelled to before. I interviewed Alyson about the project below and throughout you can find clips from other “Where I’m From” Instagram readings and chats. Continue reading

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Two Good Reasons to Read Twyla Tharp’s The Creative Habit

I first learned of Twyla Tharp’s book The Creative Habit from Claire Dederer, author of Poser: My Life in Twenty-Three Yoga Poses, when she quoted Tharp during a guest lecture for my memoir class. The quote? “You don’t really have … Continue reading

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Jackee Holder’s 26-Minute Memoir

Hi Readers, In 2009, I started a blog called 26-Minute Memoir and started publishing 26-Minute Memoirs–stories that describe the essence of your life written in 26 minutes–from students, friends, blog followers. In my book Writing Is My Drink, I encourage … Continue reading

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