Learning – Writer, Author, Speaker

Add A Brick

I stood up in front of the small crowd of people last night. Naked. [caption id="attachment_media-14" align="alignleft" width="168"] Photo by Kaboompics .com on Pexels.com[/caption] Kidding. I might as well have been. Two other authors and I were reading from our work, and I was the least accomplished of the trio by far. So, I can choose to engage in self-flagellation . . . or I can view it as a brave opportunity to add a brick to the building I'm constructing. The building of me. Notice... the building at left has fire escapes! That's me, too. I'm a building with...

Authors and Writing,Chances,Choices,Learning

What Comes Next?

Note to reader: This is a story with no end . . . yet. You can finish this story however you would like. How does the sentence end? What will happen? Who comes in the room? Who leaves the room? Would you like this kind of chance? Can you relate? Enjoy! The principal of the school sat in her office pondering the student— a girl who had been referred to the office for yet another dress-code violation. It was Thursday morning. “What?” the girl said in a slouching stand, her hand on one hip as attitude permeated her skinny little...

Finishing,Learning,Living,Lucky,Starting

Starting

Oh, my goodness. I had this fine idea that everyone is great at starting projects and that finishing is the problem. I forgot that many times people fail to start because they fear they will never finish. So finishing is still a huge challenge, no doubt about it, but the more pernicious problem is that a finely honed track record of non-finishing keeps people from the unbridled giddiness that comes from starting something. That, and fear of looking really dumb. I hope you can take the first step. Whatever it is, try something new this week. It doesn't have to be huge. You can...

Authors and Writing,Learning

Writing Terms

Do you need to know what the following terms mean to call yourself a Writer (with a capital 'W')? Not really, but if you want to extend your knowledge around your craft, you might want to have at least heard or seen these words. Besides, "Practice Makes Perfect," and learning your trade is practicing. Here you go. Oh. And keep writing! Litotes: \ ˈlī-tə-ˌtēz -- Understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by the negative of the contrary (as in "not a bad singer" or "not unhappy") Ablaut: \ ˈä-ˌblau̇t -- a systematic variation of vowels in the same root or affix or in related roots...