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...
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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.