Just finished the novel Must Love Books by Shauna Robinson about an editorial assistant juggling too many publishing jobs. First of all – of course I had to read a book with that title! One aspect of the novel that stuck out for me was the protagonist’s pain at the disconnect between the actual love…
I want to be the person who in bumper-to-bumper at 5:45 waves the other driver in. I want to be the writer who makes you feel at home in a fairy tale. I want to be the teacher that helps you find yourself in the sticky-glorious American past. I want to be the “Saint” who…
Poet Some days, not many, I’m a poet. I rein down the world.Force it to slow until I can seeThe clouds move andWords grab hold. I’m not one of the Emilysor Langston, of course.Who is? But some days,Not many,I’m a poet. -Jenel Alan CreativityPoetryWriting
I love my job – it’s fulfilling and worthwhile and even in the COVID-19 madness I still enjoy it. But… It can be pretty consuming. It’s just creative enough to use my creative energies and demands just enough writing that it uses up my writing energy and at the end of the day I often…
In thinking about this phrase the other day- “They can’t see the forest for the trees”-it occurred to me that you can’t actually see the forest without seeing the trees. So yes, the big picture is important, but individual details and people are the key to understanding the whole. I think that’s why picking the…
I know what I look like. A fourth car has slowed down, it’s a Lexus this time. A blonde driver with dark red lipstick stares through the rain spotted window. They don’t get a lot of pedestrians here. I pull out my phone and try the power button again, but the screen is remorselessly black…
I love a good book about writing, especially one with great exercises. I’m currently working my way through Naming the World: And Other Exercises for the Creative Writer edited by Bret Anthony Johnston. It’s got contributions from different writers who provide a small essay about writing followed by suggested exercises. Not every exercise is interesting or helpful,…
Jenel Alan 