Do stuff, be clenched, curious. Not waiting for inspiration’s shove or society’s kiss on your forehead. Pay attention. It’s all about paying attention, attention is vitality. It connects you with others. It makes you eager. Stay eager. ~ Susan Sontag, Vassar College commencement address
Read the rest of this entry »Archive for the 'Jessica Page Morrell' Category
Really good novels don’t have everything on the page
Sometimes what you leave out is as important as what you include. From the archives: One trick to keep writing tight and vivid is to avoid expositional dialogue. Find advice for achieving this in my archives. (I’ve written a lot here.) Along those lines, here’s a piece I wrote on Subtlety. And here’s advice about […]
Read the rest of this entry »Who Inspires You?
Last July The New York Times David Marchese featured a delicious interview with the multi-talented, British creative Phoebe Waller-Bridge that I recommend because it captures a point in her career while she’s sought-after and succeeding with exciting new ventures. Whilst she has had a storied career, bejeweled with Emmy statues and accolades, who would have […]
Read the rest of this entry »Writing Prompt
Francetta Bridle, A Walk in the Snow. I post a lot of paintings on Facebook to invite discussion and mostly to provide balm in these difficult times. I asked friends what they saw in her posture because it’s so intriguing. And they mentioned purposeful, end in sight, brisk, brave, tension in her shoulders. It’s a […]
Read the rest of this entry »Four Words
LET YOUR THEMES WHISPER And you can find in-depth information on using themes in fiiction and memoir here. Keep writing, Keep dreaming, Have heart
Read the rest of this entry »Salman Rushdie: Writing Names the World
Writing names the world, and the power of description should not be underestimated. Literature remembers its religious origins in some of those first stories. Stories of sky gods and sea gods not only became the source of an ocean of stories that flowed from them but also served as the foundations of the world into […]
Read the rest of this entry »Resonance Revisited
Another layer of ice arrived last night, which means another day of seclusion in our ongoing storm saga. Next week it’s going to warm up to the 50s, so hooray for that. But the warmer temperatures won’t revive the many fallen giants around here. Trees, that is. I’ve mentioned them earlier in the week here, […]
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