On Saturday, July 21, 2012, 3:00 p.m., I appeared on the Growing Bolder radio show on NPR station, WMFE, 90.7 FM. Growing Bolder is a weekly show hosted by Marc Middleton and Bill Shafer that features "ordinary people in the pursue of extraordinary lives," people who believe "it's not about age; it's about attitude."
In my…
Becky McGregor is a Writing Your Life class member who has had great success writing and publishing her work.
Last year, the Florida Writers Association accepted two of her stories for its 2011 anthology, Let’s Talk. Becky wrote a piece titled “Eight Wheels” in our spring 2012 class session, which will be published in this year’s…
People sit around table. With pencil in hand and pages before them, they follow along as someone reads an excerpt from his or her life story. A discussion follows: I liked how you described this person. Your dialogue is well written. You might want to vary the structure of your sentences in this paragraph. I’d…
At the First Saturday Writing Workshop a couple of days ago, I was reminded of the importance of writing our life stories in such a vivid way . I gave a prompt to write about one of the most unusual things the participants had ever seen in the sky. I expected big sightings—the aurora borealis,…
Hook 'em ... Your first sentence or two can make or break the story. It can entice your reader to keep going or convince him to go take a nap, so it’s important to put time and effort into constructing a great opening.
But, and this is a big but, work on your opening after you’ve…
Picture this…crystal blue water, view of the horizon in every direction, azure skies with puffy white clouds, exotic destinations, scrumptious food, first class entertainment, fascinating people, time for adventure and relaxation, and a chance to learn more about writing your personal and family history. Now, pen yourself into this scene.
The first ever Writing Your Life…
Last week I attended a women’s luncheon in downtown Orlando and got to chatting with a lady about handwriting or longhand, as we used to call it. I thought of the long hours I spent in first and second grades, pencil in hand, putting marks on scratchy, lined paper. Then once the block letters were…
My writing mentors encourage me to attend every writing class and workshop possible, to surround myself with writers who also wish to improve their craft. I take this advice to heart and put it into practice every chance I get, and I have never been disappointed. I walk out of all writing events with something…