I've talked about this with a number of women who write over the past few years, as we have been exposed to stories where misogyny is featured and stories where the narrative itself - and often the writer - is actually misogynistic. Conflating those two things is dangerous. One is a way of exploring and … Continue reading Misogynistic characters vs misogynistic writing
Tag: writing process
Post-liminality
The last six months of my life have been turmoil. They've also been weirdly productive. And I don't mean productive the the corporate American work ethos sense of the word, but in the sense that things were flowing, and I handled what I had to handle, and I was fairly calm the entire time. You … Continue reading Post-liminality
Backstories for girls and women in stories that *don’t* involve sexual assault.
I beta read a lot, and am involved in writing communities of various kinds, and I briefly taught English way back in the day, and I consume much storytelling media in general - and one of my biggest pet peeves is sexual assault backstories. While I think this is improving, it’s still annoying to me … Continue reading Backstories for girls and women in stories that *don’t* involve sexual assault.
Personal folklore
I never met one of my sets of grandparents - they both died in the decade before I was born. My grandmother went first, though she was apparently stubborn about it, and the family tradition has it that my grandfather died of a broken heart. His death certificate claims it was kidney failure, but according … Continue reading Personal folklore
“Every fear contains a wish”
I didn't come up with this particular aphorism. I got this from author Steve Almond (who has a new book out on the writing process called Truth is the Arrow, Mercy is the Bow which everyone should absolutely read). He recently came to the writing program I'm in to push us on how to make … Continue reading “Every fear contains a wish”
I know why agents keep rejecting you
Having trouble getting published?
Four Word Confessions (Writing Prompt)
There's a thing I do in my private journal - small confessions. I pick a number, usually between 4 and 10, and write out whatever comes into my head. They're usually on the simple side - I don't aim for earth-shattering prose, just for honesty in the moment. I go quickly. I don't think about … Continue reading Four Word Confessions (Writing Prompt)
Saturation
Saturation is a much more interesting word than one might think. To be so filled that nothing more can be absorbed. To such a full extent that it's no longer necessary or desirable. The purity of a color. In qualitative research (which is part of my day job expertise), there's a phenomenon known as saturation, … Continue reading Saturation
Blow, blow thou winter wind
I remember being a choirgirl in the early 90s learning melancholy songs about winter and snow and slumber. 60+ kids from 9 to 18 years old would meet in a college classroom on Saturday mornings, but when we got closer to our concert dates, we'd meet in a rather non-descript chapel on a college campus … Continue reading Blow, blow thou winter wind
The overwhelming awe of betrayal
A year ago, someone accused me of something in a bit of a bizarre way. I shoved it aside for a while, but it turned up in my brain again recently. Brains are strange like that - pulling up things you thought you'd moved past, or had completely forgotten, dusting them off and handing them … Continue reading The overwhelming awe of betrayal
Mental Wanderings: Art, Nature, Life 