Eight Steps Toward a Writing Practice
I got my MFA in the era when you figured out this stuff for yourself, not always very well. When I timidly approached one of my professors about how to develop a writing practice, he looked at me blankly and said, “Write.” My professor was right in more ways than I could...
Brian Doyle, Part Two of Two
A few other fragments of memories of Brian: Once, I wrote him, asking to buy a copy of one of his out-of-print books, if he had any copies around. He sent me a pdf of the book within a few hours of my writing. Once, I asked him who his favorite saints were. He listed Francis,...
Brian Doyle, Part One of Two
I wasn’t real friends with Brian Doyle. I had an active correspondence with him, but then, I bet a lot of writers did. Our e-mails stretched back maybe a decade. We met in person only once. Because Brian was so present in his writing, that didn’t seem to matter. Brian’s writing...
The Internet Will Eat Your Soul
Dramatic, I know, but I’m at least half-serious. Part of the reason I’ve been away from this blog for months is that I’ve been re-examining my relationship with the Internet*, and the news is not pretty. I’ve had increasing trouble with engaging in any task that requires...
Writing matters. But it is only part of my life. The rest of the time, I work at being a parent, teacher, wife, citizen, and friend. I think a lot about what makes a writing life possible, and what makes life meaningful enough to be worth writing about.