Some Thoughts about Teaching Personal Writing Assignments
Should I teach personal writing in my first-year writing course? This is a question I pose every semester I prepare to teach first-year writing. The question is complicated for me […]
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Good Reasons for Turning to Fiction
Last month, I wrote that I became interested in writing and reading creative nonfiction because it allows reflection on aspects of life that might be called spiritual. I wrote that […]
“But That Couldn’t Happen”: On “Realism” in Contemporary Fiction
This has happened more than once. In a fiction writing workshop, I have shared a draft of a story with a group of writers whose perspectives I want to benefit […]
Still Learning to Teach from the Air We Breathe
The shift from summer to fall always seems to be a subjective one. Especially because I live in Southern California, the change has less to do with the weather now […]
Why Writers should Stop Worrying about Greatness
In a recent conversation, a friend mentioned that Stephen King, in his memoir on writing, acknowledges that there are great writers and then there are good writers. My friend correctly […]