I spent the morning packing, which means I am currently in full-bloom panic. I have about 40 pounds of art supplies; doesn’t leave much room for nice clothes. Oh, well! Can hardly believe that the 10-day painting trip to France is about to begin. Monet’s garden is calling to me… Going into pre-departure mom mode has me especially frantic. I …
Taking on NaNoWriMo
During November, I plan to write every day until I churn out 50,000 words. I will do it along with writers around the world who have set the same goal for themselves. The official name for this month-long creativity marathon is National Novel Writing Month. Better known as NaNoWriMo, it was founded in 1999 by some would-be novelists from the …
Rock your writing! 9 easy storytelling tips
Some people are born storytellers. The rest of us can learn how to do it. And the good news is, we really can improve! Tip #1: It’s all about the 5Ws. Stories need facts. The basic facts are the 5Ws: who, what, when, where, why. Usually, the 5Ws are joined by an H-factor: how. Every story has multiple Ws and …
#Ferguson. Hear the black man’s cry. Our cry.
If we’re going to talk about the national outrage called Ferguson, we must include certain key facts — information that isn’t getting enough play in the news media. The race-and-politics numbers are depressing Two-thirds of Ferguson’s residents are black. The mayor is white. Five out of six City Council members who run Ferguson are white. The city has 53 police …
How to write a bio about yourself or someone else
When I talk to my students about how to write a bio, they groan. Everyone hates writing bios. But if you’re going somewhere in your life, at some point, you will need that bio. Really, you can do this. Even though folks find the process intimidating, my basic how-to’s can help you out. In my writing classes, the first assignment …
How my students talk to me with Twitter
Oh, those crazy kids! Twitter is taking off with my college students in surprising ways. They feel it’s fly to tweet. They have no twouble being coherent in 140-characters or less. I truly believe tweeting is a twerrific 21st century skill, and not just for journalists. There’s something for everyone here. One summer, my daughter’s plane was late and I …