When somebody asks for feedback on writing they have been working on, it can put you on the spot. How can you and the writer end up having a conversation about the writing that you both find stimulating? Here are some ideas for reading someone’s writing in a way that gets that conversation off the ground. Start small. You will always be able to have a good conversation … [Read more...] about Reading Writing
Sharing Your Writing
You can learn a lot by showing your writing to someone else. You might learn something about yourself, or about the other person. Ideally, you will learn some things that inspire you keep going with your writing. Chose something short to share with someone else. No more than a page or two. If you give them a whole big sheaf of pages, they’ll be overwhelmed and whatever … [Read more...] about Sharing Your Writing
A Title, The Date
When you have finished writing a page, always give the page a title, and make sure the date is on it somewhere. You will be glad that you did. Write the date on your page anywhere and anytime. Some people like to include a signature or their initials with it. The date is important. Time will go by. You will forget about writing many of your pages. You will ask … [Read more...] about A Title, The Date
Ridiculous Habits
The poem “Autobiography in Five Short Chapters” by Portia Nelson appears in her book There’s a Hole in My Sidewalk: The Romance of Self-Discovery. The speaker in the poem describes walking along the street, falling into an unmarked crater in the sidewalk and having a difficult time getting out. This happens several times, once by accident, again after pretending not to see it, … [Read more...] about Ridiculous Habits
Circles In the Sky
The work that you will do in your writing practice today is in two parts. In the first part you will do something. In the second part you will write about what it was like to do it. The thing that you will do is an exercise that relaxes your neck and supposedly improves your concentration. You have probably seen setups where bright spotlights shine up into the sky, making … [Read more...] about Circles In the Sky