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A River Runs Through it…
A river runs through your writing and it must roar or whisper in every story. You are the source of the river. There’s a problem I see arise sometimes when writers are working toward creating content for their book—creating that river, and I’m going to tell you how to fix it. Often when someone writes […]
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Who knew a giraffe’s tongue is so long, black and soft as velvet?
Are there moments you’d like to remember forever? I sat on my balcony at midnight the other night and stared out at the view. Humanity tucked away in honeycombed high-rise apartments stacked side by side, and lights in the windows emitting a checkerboard of amber glow. A sense of wonder overtook me—the thousands sleeping safely […]
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The Hard Part is Swallowing the Camera—Are you afraid to write a book?
The place you fear to enter holds treasure you seek.~ Joseph Campbell “The hard part is swallowing the camera,” the nurse confided. I gulped as my chunky old Canon Rebel (about six inches square) came to mind. The iPhone I have now seemed equally unlikely to go down well. Fear made me such a nervous […]
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Writing on Eggs…
My baba made Easter eggs like this when I was little. She wrote with beeswax, not ink, and drew these traditional images symbolizing rebirth and the abundance of spring. A spring that Ukrainians in their homeland, tragically, cannot celebrate today. The memory I hold of my baba—my grandmother—an elderly, warm-hearted woman—is a treasure. The fragrance […]
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Finally Write Your Book: Yes You Can!
Spring is sprung, the grass is riz, I wonders where the birdies is. And there you have it! You don’t have to write grammatically perfect to get published. So, you too can get published. We all can. That famous poem has been around a long time. Come join my upcoming writing circle and get some […]
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Memoir is Inventing the truth
Memoir is Inventing the truth~ William Zinsser (Editor) Inventing the Truth:The Art and Craft of Memoir Did you have a swing as a kid? I did. A great big tall one my dad and brothers built using telephone poles. There was thick rope, not chains, and a wooden seat held in place by a husky knot […]
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Do you see them?
At the last meeting of my memoir class, a participant announced: “What you just did was affirm each individual in this group of people who are only seen as “old people.” It was a summation of great import from this accomplished group of women and men we refer to as senior citizens. The best part of […]
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Pick a number, any number, and go for it!
Proof of the Pudding! Without setting new goals for my walking routine, I’d become a laggard. Two years ago I never missed a 10,000-day walk. Now I was down to a vague desire and the weight was up. Full of excuses—covid, the cold, and overwhelm. But like any good coach I knew the cure. Set […]
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Writing your First Draft is like Driving without a License
Last Sunday I talked about the editing phase when you go back, correct, and add details unique to your voice and experience. Your first draft will feel more like these 3-year olds driving without a license. Speeding headlong, almost blind, and certainly without the skills that will later guide them. But they are having fun! […]
Jo Nelsen Coaching 