Children, War, and Memory

In her book Sir, HR Hegnauer writes with quiet, stirring, and at times hilarious power about her grandfather (Sir) and her grandmother (Mrs. Alice). Her rich glimpses of the past reveal how her grandparents formed and informed her childhood and young adulthood. Sir is about human connection and disconnection, about bodies and gender, and, largely,Continue reading “Children, War, and Memory”

Thursday Thoughts: Out Loud

For Thursday, July 17  Prompt 74 Do you read your work out loud as you write and edit? If so, how does it change what you write? If not, try it. See if it affects your word choice, sentence length or dialogue.    

City Sidewalks

For Wednesday, July 16, 2014  Prompt #73     Write about an encounter on a city street. Writing Tips: This can be an encounter between two people, a person and a sign,  an older person and a toddler, three dogs, or some other combination. Balance observation, description, and dialogue. Write for 15 minutes. Book Suggestion:Continue reading “City Sidewalks”

Summer Solstice Ritual

June 21, 2014.  Prompt #51 After dinner with friends tonight , I marked this longest day of the year with a walk to Wonderland Lake. There, redwings chattered, the foothills reflected themselves in the water, and two mallard chicks paddled behind with their mother. On the path home, I nearly bumped into a mule deer.Continue reading “Summer Solstice Ritual”

Developing Character

June 20, 2014.  Prompt #50 To write effectively about characters, it’s crucial to thoroughly develop their fictional lives. Once you have a clear sense of who they are, you’ll be able to better write dialogue for them and describe their gestures, expressions, and habits. How does your character entertain herself, how does he dress, whatContinue reading “Developing Character”

Picture {Postcard} Perfect

June 19, 2014.  Prompt #49 Today’s prompt may take you to places unknown. Have a marvelous journey.     Instructions Do you have a collection of old travel postcards?  If so, choose one for this prompt. If not, in Google image, Flickr, or another image search, type “travel postcards.” Choose a postcard image from it.Continue reading “Picture {Postcard} Perfect”

Streets and Neighborhoods

June 18, 2014.  Prompt #48 I’ve been reading the intriguing memoir How I Became Hettie Jones.  A poet, story-writer, and the first wife of Amiri Baraka, Hettie Jones offers fresh, non-glorifying insights of her Bohemian years in New York City as part of the male-dominated Beat Generation. The book’s sections have titles such as Morton Street,Continue reading “Streets and Neighborhoods”

By The Sea

June 17, 2014.  Prompt #47 I’ve been steadily editing a novel of mine that takes place at a beach. Even while I am typing away here in landlocked Colorado, much of my brain has relocated to a Jersey Shore beach town circa 1993. For today’s prompt, therefore, we’ll work with words associated with oceans, bays,Continue reading “By The Sea”