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Quotables: Safety in Numbers

Safety in numbers: photo of four meerkats standing under light source.

“So much of writing is like walking down a dark hallway with your arms out in front of you. You bump into a lot of things.” ~ Kate DiCamillo

#FindYourTribe | #SafetyInNumbers

Join a Writer’s Group (or start your own). Here are a few ideas from Writer’s Digest on tips, lessons learned, & formats to follow.

Sign up for a workshop or class. In-person critique groups for summer (near MKE), ONLINE Here, or try Sackett Street Writers’ 6-week Writing Sprints course with Amy Shearn (scroll down for the summer section that begins Jul. 8th).

Attend a book festival. Where, you ask? The American Writers Museum has a page full of locations with links to websites. This calls for a little artwork….

Safety in numbers: CHEERS! Drawing of woman jumping up and waving pom-poms.

(If you go, let me know. Maybe I can meet you there!)

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Quotables on Story & an Online Course to take you there.

“Stories are light. Light is precious in a world so dark. Begin at the beginning. Tell Gregory a story. Make some light.”  ~ Kate DiCamillo, The Tale of Despereaux

man with pen and paper and working on laptopYou’ve got a story. You’ve got that urge to write. But where do you begin?

Join me online from November 4th-December 15th for Principles & Prompts, where we’ll discuss creativity and story and put pen to paper every week ($90 for new students; $80 for returning students).

This isn’t just a course for beginners, though. Principles & Prompts is a low-stakes course for writers looking to get back into the swing of regular practice, who are searching for community, who enjoy reading the works of others and finding inspiration in the discussions that follow. It’s one of my favorite courses to teach!

Read more about the course and SIGN UP HERE–make some light!
Seats are limited and registration closes on November 1st!

“We tell our stories in order to live.” ~ Joan Didion

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#Quotable: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

Later that night, Jack came and sat next to Bull and asked if he could borrow the rabbit. Bull handed Edward over, and Jack sat with Edward upon his knee. He whispered in Edward’s ear. “Helen,” Jack said, “and Jack Junior and Taffy — she’s the baby. Those are my kids’ names. They are all in North Carolina. You ever been to North Carolina? It’s a pretty state. That’s where they are. Helen. Jack Junior. Taffy. You remember their names, okay, Malone?”

. . . .

Edward knew what it was like to say over and over again the names of those you had left behind. He knew what it was like to miss someone. And so he listened. And in his listening, his heart opened wide and then wider still.

We write to remember, we write to reflect. Fiction or non, your stories matter. Who will you honor on the page?

* DiCamillo, Kate; Ibatoulline, Bagram (2009-08-30). The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane (p. 103). Candlewick Press. Kindle Edition.