authors: book clubs are underrated
I launched my memoir, Under the Birch Tree, ten months ago. My book events have wound down and are now inching along in pace with the spring weather. I recently attended three book club events in the past couple of months, and I was surprised at what I learned from them. Book club events are underrated and I underestimated my participation in them. Sure, I knew I would enjoy talking with readers who would share in equal parts enthusiasm and discussion of a book’s story as would I. But I [...]
7 steps (or less) to ready your memoir for publication
There's a lot written about starting a memoir, how to do it, how to organize it, if you have enough reflection and takeaways. And then there’s how to structure your memoir, too. But what happens after you’ve completed your revisions and edits, when you believe you have a finished work ready for the eyes of prospective publishers? Not so fast. Did you get a critique or an analysis of your manuscript? How about a developmental edit? These steps are crucial for you and your memoir. The following are the steps I [...]
discovering my own lane
The brightness of a sunny spring day and the clarity of a blue sky forced their way into the meeting room's tall windows. Multiple rows of six chairs were lined up like soldiers readying for their commands while a podium stood at the front of it all. The Chicago Writers Conference (CWA) was about to start. This was my first writers conference where I realized I had found my writer’s lane, and I learned how to navigate in it. Years ago when I started out as a writer, I couldn’t [...]
Do you have a pair of ruby slippers?
Recently, a best friend lost her beloved four-legged companion of thirteen years. I thought of how she must have felt: alone, lost, and sad. Eight-week-old Sydney had become family after my friend secured a job and then a new home, both of which she loved. Sydney was her connection to memories of being in a good place, of happiness and success, security and comfort. I thought of how, or if we still can, connect to those memories of home when we lose a bond that meant so much. We've all [...]
Fiction writing: discovering new ground as a memoirist
Instead of writing personal truth and reflection why not tap into my imagination with fiction writing? With no formal education or even self-study of any genre of fiction, I figured a slow and incremental start, dabbling in a few slush-piles of personal essays, would be my best foray into turning them into unexplored fictional ground. My delight wasn’t because of a newfound writing venture but because of an unexpected revelation. Writing fiction can be more confusing than a mismatched pair of socks, more challenging than the New York Times crossword [...]
Do you know why writers write?
I find most reasons writers write are self-centered, inner directed, maybe even self-serving. Don’t get me wrong. I consider writers to be artists and artists create from the self, personal expressions manifested through words or pictures. But I wonder if there could be more to the egocentric responses." “Why I Write,” a title of an essay consistently pops up in writing magazines, journals and online blogs telling us why a writer writes—to search for meaning in their lives, to tell a story, or to entertain. The reasons are endless and it may [...]
Fact-checking movies: who cares?
Did you see “Green Book” and “Bohemian Rhapsody,” two movies that recently won Golden Globe awards? Did you catch that "Green Book" was divisive? Did you notice that Dr. Don Shirley didn’t consider his driver a close friend? That Dr. Shirley was estranged from his Black Family? Or how about “Bohemian Rhapsody”. While watching, did you track the movie’s timeline to see that Mercury’s AIDS diagnosis was moved up by two years “adding to an intensity to make it appear that it was the impetus for his performance [...]
out of balance? well, that’s a good thing!
I love the holidays, but I can dread them, too. As they quickly approach I expect a repeat of what happens every year—stress, loss of sleep, change in diet, inconsistent exercise, cluttered mind. And now after taking down and packing away the holiday decorations, I welcome the reintroduction of a routine I once knew well. I want to be back in balance! At the end of a recent yoga class, my mind and body felt out of sync, counterintuitive of yoga's alignment and balance. I remarked to my yoga [...]