It’s time for the monthly round-up! This last month has been a whirlwind and I’ve barely been able to keep up with my inbox. Even so, I still conjured up the time to flit around the internet following breadcrumbs…
Here are a few things I found interesting these past few weeks:
Check out these podcasts for writers:
Ursa Short Fiction – Perfect for writers who love short fiction and want to better understand what makes a great short story… well, great.
Poetry Unbound – Dive into a single poem and listen to a thoughtful discussion about it.
Writing Workshop Wishlist… If only I had more time.
September 27th – The Science of Writing a Short Story. (6wk Zoom Class) from Writing Workshops $395 USD
October 11th - Writing from Photography by Ekphrastic Review $35 CAD
October 16th – Women with Cameras: An Ekphrastic Discovery Workshop $35 CAD
October 21st – Beyond Conflict: Sources of Narrative Drive in Fiction with Timothy Weed $75 USD
October 27th – What is Autofiction with Kayleigh Shoen from Grubb Street $75 USD
Interesting Odds and Ends:
Check out these free writing lessons from Pigeonhole Magazine.
The Whale in Moby Dick may have actually existed (we’ll never know for sure.) Scientists discover that some whales may have been wiped out by Medieval Europeans.
Another spotless giraffe!!!! (I didn’t know there had been a first one?)
A couple of Fiction reads that stuck with me:
“Sticks” by George Saunders
“Woodpeckers Peck to Establish Territory in the Spring” by Sherrie Flick
In the News:
Devastating earthquake hits Morocco.
Ydriss Nouara, a resident of Lahaina, recounts his experience fleeing the inferno. Take the time to listen to this incredibly gripping interview.
Fanfic to romance writer: The Fanfic-to-Romance Pipeline Goes Mainstream in Publishing (vulture.com)
Luis Rubiales, Spanish Soccer President, resigns. What an ass.
Mitch McConnell glitches at a press conference. Why is this guy still in office? Dianne Fienstein decides not to run for reelection. Mitt Romney retires from politics. It’s time for a younger generation to step up and step in.
And finally… my favorite writing exercise this month:
This one is from Kathy Fisch in her lesson on Anaphor and Parallelism: “I’d like you to write a flash using anaphor and/or parallelism (or repetition) in any way you wish to use it. You may find the one paragraph form particularly useful here.
If you need a nudge, you might try to repeat the following phrases:
Her mother never… [or] In the morning…In the evening…in the afternoon… [or] I remember… [or] Once I
Try a collective POV maybe:
We never… [or] We always… [or] They wanted… [or] Once they…
Write fast Keep. Keep going.”
That’s right folks, write fast and keep going - my mantra for the month. What interesting tidbits did you run across this last month? Let us know in the comments below.
Happy writing!