Sally packed devilled eggs—something she usually hated to take on a picnic, because they were so messy. Ham sandwiches, crab salad, lemon tarts—also a packing problem. Kool-Aid for the boys, a half bottle of Mumm’s for herself and Alex. She would have just a sip, because she was still nursing. She had bought plastic champagne … Continue reading WRITER’S WORKSHOP II, Week 1: Sally Packed Devilled Eggs, The “Deep-Holes” of Alice Munro
A Poem Today a poem written years from nowabout a time of social distancewhen touching frowned uponwhen 6ft above the groundkept you from 6ft belowa time of fear and uncertaintynot unlike the time of nowthe years between that poem and todaycall for brave hearts and wordsto tell the storiesto share the timesa poem today written … Continue reading A Poem Today, by Donna Matthews
We came, we saw, we measured—twice. We cut 10% of the excess—once. We twisted our opening lines to create grammatical tension. We have arrived. It’s Week 4 of the Writer’s Workshop, and that means it’s time to step back and celebrate our hard work. Next week, I will be back with some fresh points to … Continue reading WRITER’S WORKSHOP I, Week 4: A Celebration and My #1 Writing Tip
Something to think about: Our talented writers have some amazing stories brewing in the Go Dog Go Café; but, the water is just getting hot, and we aren’t finished yet! Congratulations to everyone who has traveled this far in our first Writer’s Workshop journey. This week’s quote comes from a wonderful book for writers by … Continue reading WRITER’S WORKSHOP I, Week 3, Curveball Challenge
break my arm, cause I won’t stop running after you, the desperate shape of you shapes of you break around midtown streets I grabbed your sneaker but I’m not charming I took after midnight but I own zero castles just a mind that pulls masterclass overthought My jeans soaked from dashing through mud Why are … Continue reading On Life-Devereaux Frazier
Something to think about: “When you write a story, you’re telling yourself the story. When you rewrite, your main job is taking out all the things that are not the story.” John Gould to Stephen King, quoted from On Writing One more quote from Stephen King: “In the Spring of my senior year at Lisbon … Continue reading WRITER’S WORKSHOP I, Week 2, Batting Practice
Something to think about:My stepfather, a custom home builder, taught me the basics of carpentry: “measure twice, cut once.” Sounds simple enough, but it takes discipline and an investment in time to slow down and repeat the measurement, and the power saw can be unforgiving. Many are the boards wasted by a few mismarked millimeters. … Continue reading WRITER’S WORKSHOP I, Week 1, The Fastball
