Monthly Archives: September 2014

Excuses, Begone!

“The most unprofitable item ever manufactured is an excuse.” Anonymous When it comes to writing — or more to the point, not writing — we all have our own personal array of excuses in our couldn’t-get-to-it quiver. When I pull … Continue reading

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Brevity Beckons

“Writing is easy. All you have to do is cross out the wrong words.” Mark Twain Back in the days when Mark Twain was a riverboat pilot, steamships ruled the Mississippi. When a railroad decided to build a bridge over … Continue reading

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Something Wonderful

As we pause to relax and refresh ourselves, here are some luscious words to inspire us: Blackberry Eating I love to go out in late Septembeer among the fat, overripe, icy, black blackberries to eat blackberries for breakfast, the stalks … Continue reading

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What If?

“You’re a fiction writer. Invent, go further, say to yourself, ‘What if?’” Mary Higgins Clark With more than 24 bestsellers and 80 million in sales in the United States alone, Mary has learned a few tricks of the writing trade. … Continue reading

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Some Days

Some days just don’t get off the ground very well, do they? For me, this is usually because something happens that throws me off kilter: My plan for the day goes awry for one reason or another and my writing … Continue reading

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Diary City

“The universe is made of stories, not atoms.” Muriel Rukeyser Bravo, Muriel: Spoken like a writer! And surely, this view is shared by the people who run the National Diary Archive Foundation in Pieve Santo Stefano, Italy — a small … Continue reading

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Dubliners Delivers

Wine, pizza, beers, blondies, and classic prose — what a delightful combo for a chilly evening! On the agenda for my craft-of-writing group: Dubliners by James Joyce — a collection of scintillating stories by a stylist with a sharp eye … Continue reading

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In Silence

“The longest journey is the journey inward.” Dag Hammarskjold Here’s something you might find worth trying: a silent min-retreat. This is a day or even a half-day in which you keep silent and engage in deep listening. I just did … Continue reading

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Something Wonderful

As we summer murmurs its last goodbye and the leaves come out to play, here are two brief musings to delight you: Autumn The morns are meeker than they were, The nuts are getting brown; The berry’s cheek is plumper, … Continue reading

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First Forays

“The particular power and readability of Madame Bovary, when it appeared in 1857, were its great and novel attractions, and these were achieved by a thousand technical devices contrived by a mature genius — economical profusion of detail, controlled style, … Continue reading

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