Writing: Friends on the Shelf

No matter how many writers like to claim theirs is a solitary vocation, I just don't buy it. None of us really writes on our own, and any writer or reporter worth her salt learns from instructors she probably hasn't even met. 

Specifically, it's those published writers, alive or dead, with a single book or a dozen, who inspire us with sentences that sing, paragraphs that leave us breathless and stories that stay planted in our souls and hearts and minds for years. They shape our craft. And they form our vision of what writing could—and should—be. 

From the Book Shelf: How a classic story still resonates for these times

 

"[I]n a year marked with the challenges of isolation and grief, Bridge to Terabithia is a worthy and much-needed companion."

Though you might not be able to find it on a map, Terabithia is as real a place as Narnia, Planet Uriel, or the Shire. It is a land, in fact, of equal force, where reluctant boys confront their fears and lonely girls become regal, a place where imagination is both currency and medicine even - or especially - for explorers travelling from the year 2020. 

Copy That: 4 Writing Clues for Catching (and Keeping) Readers

    Whether it’s a novel or a tweet, a script or an op ed, all writing deserves our best thinking and words. All the time. Sure, it’s hard work. But the pay off of catching—and keeping— readers is worth it. 

    Here are four writing clues to make your writing as compelling as it can be:

So I've Still been Writing

Yes, I'm still writing and keeping track of recent freelance work so far from 2020-2016. Book reviews, features and other links here:

Moving Up—and Down(under)

Our old website, LampPost Media has some dated issues. So right now it's hiding somewhere on the Internet.

No matter. Here I am in the land down under, living near in-laws and enjoying sunny, coat-less days, and journalism looks slightly different here. People who report the news here aren't reporters; they're "Journos". 

As expected, their coverage is full of the things that matter to Aussies right now: front page sports news, issues in private schools, gambling addictions and the complexities of justice for and with Indigenous peoples here. 

I haven't written to much about these stories (did cover gambling recently), but I have explored life down under to this 'foreigner' on my blog: A Sun Burnt Faith. Hope you'll come by and say "G'day!"

When Does A Blog Become An Archive?

This is an easy question: when I haven't posted in a year. And probably am not likely to soon because my journalism assignments in the U.S. have gone on a bit of a hiatus. (Alas, I've spent the past twelve months writing a bunch of stuff for cool organizations who now, um, kind of own those stories. That's okay too.)

So please forgive me, anyone who might have glanced at these pages; I'll be using this blog now simply to archive stories I've written for publication under my own byline. Or comments I can't help but make on some aspect of journalism—that aren't necessarily the opinions of said orgs.

More news and stories—and adventures—await. Thanks for checking in.

Oh, The Places a Poem Can Go!

Who says writing is always hard? Sometimes a story is simply a delight . . . to write. (That rhymed.)

This was one of those. Because it was about this heroic woman who lives—I learned—on the next block over but started this cool grass roots movement-thing to bring poetry into, well, whatever places that inspire her, making it a community celebration. And making the world undoubtedly a better place because of it! It was an honor—and a ton of fun—to interview her and write this story for North Shore Magazine's April arts issue.

You can read the article HERE.