(To listen to the audio of this blog post, use the purple play button.) · Listen, Read, Write, Repeat · If you're a writer, or want to be a writer, do you save story-starters? Do you file newspaper clippings, save Pinterest images, or write down bits of overheard conversations, certain you'll use the comments or pictures in future dialogue? Maybe your file is labeled, "Save - to Use Later." I'm reading the Hutchinson News, and I glance at the obituaries and see the name, "Billy … [Read more...] about Seeds to a Story: Listen, Read, Write, Repeat
creative writing
Cultural Exposure: Albinism and Africa
(To listen to the audio of this blog post, use the purple play button.) · Albinism and Africa · I've never been to Tanzania, but I've researched the country, especially the PWA community. The acronym stands for People With Albinism. If you want to learn more about the genetic condition called albinism, I recommend the National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation (NOAH). If you want information on the fight against attacks on people with albinism, … [Read more...] about Cultural Exposure: Albinism and Africa
Creative Writing: Fake News
(To listen to the audio of this blog post, use the purple play button.) · Fake News · Today the media talks about the alarming impact of "fake news." No doubt that in our instant, mass communication world, one fraudulent or deceptive story can cause massive confusion with grave consequences. Check out this "exaggeration" post card from 1937 showing a rather large grasshopper that died of lead poisoning. Similar manipulated, tall-tale images had been in circulation since the … [Read more...] about Creative Writing: Fake News
Using Metaphors: Metaphorically Speaking
(To listen to the audio of this blog post, use the purple play button.) · Metaphorically Speaking · "Our marriage is like an iris that no longer blooms," she said. "It doesn't laugh. It doesn't smile. The plant looks healthy but never joyous." "Jesse, you can still bloom," the counselor said. "Is it too late?" Jesse asked. "A healthy marriage needs the right nutrients. A good marriage, a great marriage, has the right ingredients and it has them in balance: the right amount of … [Read more...] about Using Metaphors: Metaphorically Speaking
Research in Writing: Read and Travel
(To listen to the audio of this blog post, use the purple play button.) · Read and Travel · If you write fiction, have you created a place for your characters to hang out? Writing is a combination of reading, travel, and imagination. Research and fact-checking are crucial. If you've used a travel guide or app, then your readers depend on you, the writer, to be accurate with locations and recommendations. If you write non-fiction, then consider the impact on others if … [Read more...] about Research in Writing: Read and Travel
Expand On Your Experiences: Dead End Road
(To listen to the audio of this blog post, use the purple play button.) · Dead End Road · Yesterday morning we received a phone call from a country neighbor. "Have you been down to your mailbox yet?" she asked. "No," I replied. "Well, if you can get down here, you can see that someone's run over our newspaper tubes. They look as flat as a pancake. A sheriff's deputy left his business card in our mailboxes." "We'll be down," I said and hung up. As we approached … [Read more...] about Expand On Your Experiences: Dead End Road
Welcome!
(To listen to the audio of this blog post, use the purple play button.) · Welcome to my blog! · I'm writing from south-central Kansas. For those of you more familiar with our geography, my wife and I live outside of Hutchinson. It's known as "the Salt City" for the many salt mines that were once active. Kansans know it as the home of the State Fair, the National Junior College Basketball Tournament, and the Cosmosphere & Space Museum. But, I'm not trying to recruit people … [Read more...] about Welcome!
