Review by Marlene Cullen. I have heard about this book, read about this book, seen posts about this book for years. So, I bought “The Emotion Thesaurus” by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi. Yes to this book! From the introduction: “What we [recognized] was our own difficulty conveying character emotion in a way that would engage readers. This problem was a big one, because only when the character’s emotions are clearly shared can readers become more involved.” I have often thought about how to “show” body language when writing. As you know, when we interact with others, there is much about body language that conveys our mood, emotions, reactions. How to show these things? The Emotion Thesaurus to our rescue! “We wanted to ensure that our character’s feelings would trigger the reader’s own emotional memories, encouraging empathy that would draw them deeper into the story.” Tips on how to write…
You Can’t Catch Death
Sometimes you read a memoir, put your book away, and get on with your life. “You Can’t Catch Death” by Ianthe Brautigan is not one of those memoirs. Ianthe’s stories about her father and how she was affected by him results in a loving tribute to her conflicted and artistic father, Richard. Ianthe shares details that are painful to read and yet, I read far into the night, needing to know what happened next. I appreciate Ianthe’s gentle handling of difficult and misunderstood subjects: alcoholism and death by one’s own hand. “You Can’t Catch Death” could be a text on how to write a memoir – go deep. Be truthful. Be as honest as you can be. Be authentic. Ianthe excelled on all these levels. Writing Prompt “Watershed moment,” inspired by Ianthe Brautigan from a Writers Forum writing workshop. Thoughts about hurting people’s feelings when writing true stories: Writing has…
Life Span
“Life Span: Impressions of a Lifetime Spent Crossing and Recrossing the Golden Gate Bridge” reviewed by Marlene Cullen. “Life Span” by Molly Giles chronicles numerous trips across Golden Gate Bridge from her earliest memory (1945) to 2023. I’m thinking of the quote “Something happened to someone. So what?” While crossing and re-crossing the span, “Life Span” readers are treated to gorgeous writing, and perhaps inspiration to write their stories. “Life Span” opens with, “If I start to behave like a normal three-year-old girl, my father will let me sit in the front seat of the moving van with him. But I have to crawl out from under the kitchen table, wash my hands and face, and stop snarling. He did not come back from The War to be attacked by a wild tiger.” I like this little girl and I want to know more. In the last chapter, Molly travels…
Nathan Bransford asks . . .
Nathan Bransford recently posted the question, “Has your ambition changed in the past few years?” on his Blog. Hmmm . . . My answer: My goal, since 2003, has been to encourage writers, especially people who want to write but think they can’t. The older I get, the more I am inspired to keep doing what I’ve been doing: Posting inspiration to Just Write! And so, here we are, on The Write Spot Blog asking: Has your ambition changed in the past few years? You can click on Nathan’s Blog post and comment there. Or: Since I no longer have a comments section on my blog (because I couldn’t keep up with deleting spammers), you can answer the question on Marlene Cullen’s Write Spot Facebook Page. Just Write! #justwrite #iamawriteer #iamwriting
We Don’t Talk About That . . . Prompt #806
Armando Garcia-Dávila’s Youtube Talk inspired this prompt: We don’t talk about that . . . Just Write! #justwrite #iamwriting #iamawriter
Armando Garcia-Dávila: Writing With Prisoners
Something new on The Write Spot Blog: A video! Some of us hold our cards close to our chest, reluctant to reveal anything personal. Not Garcia-Dávila. In this video, Armando opens his heart to tell us about his experience with prisoners. “I present my experiences volunteering at San Quentin State Penitentiary in Marin County, California. I interacted with inmates over three-day retreats. An unexpected takeaway; there are many decent people, some admirable, that are serving sentences from two years to life. I had an interaction with one particular inmate that was life changing for both of us.” —Armando Garcia-Dávila The video is about 50 minutes long. Scroll down for link to video. Armando opens with a poem “Keeping Quiet,” by Pablo Neruda. Suzanne Murray wrote about “Finding Magic in the Mundane,” referencing Neruda. “I have many favorite poets but, the Nobel prize winning Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda tops the list in…
Surrender for Inspiration
Note from Marlene:Grant Faulkner’s musings on his Substack page are golden comfort to a writer’s soul, offering unique perspectives that inspire writing. For example, his essay on “Surrender as Action Verb.” “When we surrender ourselves to our art, we allow ourselves to soften. Surrender invites us to give ourselves up to something larger, to meld with wonder and awe. Surrender creates intimacy and expansiveness at the same time. It sparks curiosity, exploration. It’s the equivalent of going to sleep: by sinking into an unconscious state, we allow dreams to fill us. We give up trying to change and control things. The rigidities of expectations, desires, and aspirations melt away. Think what would change if you allowed yourself to surrender in a conversation. What if you committed to listening, to let another’s words and spirit rise up and take you instead of focusing on your point of view, your needs. What…
Birds & Blooms Wants Your Stories
Birds & Blooms is a bimonthly magazine focused on the beauty in your backyard. “Our magazine coves a wide range of topics such as attracting hummingbirds, building birdhouses, gardening for butterflies, growing veggies, plus a lot more.” Submission Guidelines Good Luck!
Memory is a river, not a block of cement
“Alternate versions of past events are common, because it is human nature, especially where childhood memories are concerned, to move ourselves—over time—to the center of a story. We are hardwired to see the world through our own points of view, and increasingly so with the passage of time. Memory is a river, not a block of cement.” — “But My Sister Remembers It Differently: On Working with Contested Memories,” by Dinty Moore, Aug. 15, 2024 Brevity Blog.
I Don’t Know . . .
Note from Marlene: I am very excited to share Jennifer’s post with you. Since my passion is how to write about difficult subjects without adding trauma, I am especially grateful to Jennifer for addressing this topic. Jennifer’s eloquent writing on what she doesn’t know about her father is outstanding and an example of how you can write about “what you don’t know.” Guest Blogger Jennifer Leigh Selig: When I lead memoir writing retreats, I like to kickstart the mornings with writing prompts. One of the tricks of my trade is a manilla envelope stuffed with images I’ve printed out of vintage and iconic toys and games from across the decades. It’s a ritual I cherish—spreading these images out on the long conference room tables, imagining my students’ delight as they light upon a special toy or game that brings back fond memories, and then watching them begin to furiously write….