Handwriting is on my mind. Recently, I was touched to see copies of handwritten notes between Werner Von Braun, mastermind of the U.S. space program, and Jackie Kennedy, widow of U.S. President John F. Kennedy. The notes were part of an exhibit about the Apollo Space Program. Fast forward to two timely news items about handwriting. The first involves the…
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The secret to success in any creative venture, column writing included, is finding your own voice and sharing your unique view of the world. But being original is tricky these days — especially now that we’re all exposed to so many other voices, trends, and ideas. Google any topic online, and you’ll find scores of articles, poems, essays, blog posts,…
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“Because it’s known as a novel tool, I approached it from the standpoint of using it for Memoir and family history.” What is Scrivener? Scrivener is a writing software that helps writers organize research, notes, and drafts, or, as Scrivener puts it, “See the forest or the trees.” It can even help with story-boarding. Note: This review is based on Scrivener 1 for…
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It started with a tweet. That’s how I got a publisher’s contract for my historical novel Celestina’s Burnings. Sounds crazy, I know, but Twitter is a great resource for writers. It’s easy and a great way to get your pitch seen by the publishing world. Agents, editors and publishers are all over the website, searching for their next book. I…
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As a long-time Detroiter, one who is further (sometimes uncomfortably) compelled to write about her own life, it’s only natural that various aspects of Detroit seep into a great number of my personal essays/creative nonfiction and poetry. Sometimes Motown serves as a living, breathing background, the canvas upon which my own life stories play out, as is the case with…
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By: Sarah Shoemaker I’m sitting in my monthly book discussion group, and we are talking about Jane Eyre (every year we discuss one classic novel). The talk surrounds me, sometimes quite heated: what are we to make of Mr. Rochester? We all agree that Jane is independent, with a strong moral compass—so what is there about this man who is…
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by Veronica Dale My friend Bob, who writes delightful comedy, once asked me why I write dark fantasy. I explained it was because I didn’t want to gloss over the fact that in real life bad things happen. But, I said, my books are also full of hope and always lead to a light at the end of the tunnel….
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By Diane DeCillis The editors of Poetry Foundation wrote that “In the last 100 years, perhaps no other artistic medium has provided more fodder for poetry than the cinema. Movies have become central to the poetic imagination, whether the poet celebrates the movies or reacts against celluloid saturation.” There are various aspects of a film that can inspire the making…
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