I just finished reading The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien. This stunning book is comprised of related short stories that are based on O’Brien’s experiences in Viet Nam. That makes them war stories, but labeling them as such imposes a genre on writing that is so incredible it defies a designation. These stories are of struggle, excruciating choices, love, loss, and celebration. O’Brien’s strong and masterful voice leads you through it all.
Author Archives: Gina
Finding the Way In 02
As I said, all my sulking was making me not like myself very much, so I got to work. I got out the articles that could have been mine – at least in my own mind! I examined the way in on the articles that worked and learned some new things while rediscovering some things I knew but hadn’t seen how to apply. It all goes something like this: Continue reading
Finding the Way In 01
Call it the angle. Call it the clothesline that will support your information. Call it whatever you want. It’s the organizing idea of a piece of writing. I call it finding the way in and to me, it’s the most difficult part of writing. To be honest, there are times when I just can’t find it. I can live with that. At least I can until I see an article on a topic I wanted to write about. Suddenly the way in is so obvious! Even if it’s not a way I would have chosen, I can see that it works. And the worst part of that moment is that at least five other ways flash into my mind in what can only be called a bleem. If you’re a writer, you’ve surely had this disheartening experience.
Who Owns the Story?
The conventional wisdom is to write what you know. If you’ve led a full and exciting life, that’s probably good advice. If you’re just starting out, that leaves you to compete at the end of the gene pool with everyone else who is just starting out. Then again, you could truly write what you know – write about your life experiences. That begs the woefully unoriginal question – Who Owns the Story?
You might think that the story of you life is your story. Why even stop to think about it? Then again, your life story is linked forever to the life story of your siblings, parents, friends … Is there a point at which their expectation of privacy outweighs your right of self expression? Do they even have a legitimate expectation of privacy? Continue reading
Finding Inspiration
As it stands now, I am behind in Nano and have not even a topic in mind for the science writing workshop I’m ecstatic to be attending in the spring. So what am I totally into writing about in my write-whatever-i-want-time? Science fiction as a genre. Does this have anything to do with Nano or the science writing workshop? Of course not.
Muddy Boots
This artist is amazing. Check out her blog!
Dystopian Literature: Dune
I started reading Dune last week. It wasn’t until mention was made of the melting polar ice caps that Frank Herbert’s prescience struck me. Dune was published in 1965. It immediately won the Hugo and the very first Nebula. Those are surely reasons enough to read this scifi novel, but for me there is something more. With Dune I glimpse the adult vision of the future that was taking hold at the same time I was being asked to formulate my own nine-year old view of that future.
Continue reading
August Hiatus
Time for a bit of summer fun!
Meet you back here in September.
Managing the Juggle
The fantasy of the freelance life is that you are your own boss, free to call the shots, work as you like, and pick the assignments that suit your interests. All of that is true when the economy is booming and there’s a lot of work to be had. When things are tight, it’s a bit more frantic with a lot less choice.
Making a Change
I’ve been doing small business consulting and freelance writing for several years. During that time, I’ve learned a lot about what it takes to run and manage a freelance business. It occurred to me that I could have a link to this site from my other site. Why? There is info on this site that’s geared to writers – and other creative types – and info on the other site that is more general in nature yet still applies to creative types.
You don’t need to do a thing. You will notice that you can now click onto a site with more detailed information on QuickBooks Online, Creating an Online Presence/Platform, Creating a WordPress Blog and/or Web site, Managing Social Media, Business Plan, Plans & Goals … This way I’ll post once and related content will show up where it’s supposed to show up, and we’ll all get the benefit of my MBA and QuickBooks certification!
I’m excited about this and can only attribute my glacial pace in reaching this realization to my constant state of sleep deprivation. I know you can relate!
Gina