Word by Word

Practical insights for writers from Jessica P Morrell

Archive for the 'Jessica Page Morrell' Category

Instructions for Living a Life

Instructions for Living a  Life Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it. Mary Oliver Check out the Poetry Foundation for more about Oliver. I’ve been reading a lot this winter, but haven’t read much poetry lately. Going to remedy that and suggest writers everywhere devour poetry and song lyrics and forage for metaphors and figurative […]

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After nourishment, shelter and companionship,  stories are  the thing we most need in the world. Philip Pullman

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A New Year’s Wish

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January

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Light, Lists, and Good Wishes for 2023

As the year wraps up I wanted to wish writers everywhere light, success, and wonder. This time of year I ake stock, make plans, and peruse the ‘best of’  lists, especially when it comes to books. Here are a few you might enjoy: Former president Barak Obama shares his favorite books, music, and movies here. […]

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December

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November

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A starting place for fiction writers

Well, we’re galloping through October and the region is finally getting real, soaking, save-our-parched-earth rainfall around here. In fact, we had a booming thunder storm–a rarity in the Pacific Northwest. But since November and NaNoWriMo {National Novel Writing Month} are just around the bend, I wanted to mention a few things about starting a novel. […]

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The books I reread form a scaffold for my time

“The books I reread form a scaffold for my time and also a scaffold for my thoughts. I reread to mark the progression of my own thoughts, to agree or disagree with a sentence or passage, to further a conversation begun in the previous reading. Sometimes–this is rare though it happens–rereading does come to a […]

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October

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