![]() They know that writing is observing and translating, being present and recreating sharpness on the page and on the tongue. Paying attention to the language on the page means paying attention to the sound of language in the air and using it. To understand language that sings, you have to understand the sounds of language, observe and pay attention to the details of conversations around you, how people choose different words for arguments than they do when talking about their day or asking for some water. Those are the ones I want to grab by the throat and wrestle to the floor because it takes me forever to get it to sing. Of course, there are those critics – New York critics as a rule – who say, Well, Maya Angelou has a new book out and of course it’s good but then she’s a natural writer. It must look easy, but it takes me forever to get it to look so easy. Writers need to be mindful not in the power of positive psychology sort of way, but just in a way of being fully present so that we can notice what’s going on around us and within us.Īngelou“I try to pull the language in to such a sharpness that it jumps off the page. Powers says, “Be present, practice attention, and the story you are working on will feed on everything in front of you.” Richard Powers, who wrote The Overstory, which won a Pulitzer has said this. Write what you see and taste and fear and feel. He forgets apparently that women’s pants often don’t have pockets? And also about the notes app on your phone. Martin suggests being “an active observer in life” which to him means always being “on the lookout.” And he says you should grab a notebook that fits in your back pocket to write down what you observe. How people go about scratching their nose, trying not to pick at their wedgie, argue with their kids how they greet someone at a school board meeting, or even your own observations like the feel of bad indoor-outdoor carpet under your butt, the way this particular headache throbs like an almost perceptible bass beat coming from a car down the street, right at your left temple and the base of your neck-all of it can be used in your story. He’s mostly talking about comedy, screenplays and skits, but it works for the other arts and writing other genres, too. Now, decades after that Wild and Crazy Guy skit, Martin has this masterclass and in it he says, “Everything you see, hear, experience is usable.” He had an entirely different persona in the skit but you could feel it and tell he’d been inspired by something in real life and turned it into comedy through exaggeration. Steve Martin had a catch phrase from his time on SNL and standup that he was a wild and crazy guy. But she also has extra cool content focused on writing tips here.Ĭarrie is reading one of her poems every week on CARRIE DOES POEMS. Her Facebook and Twitter handles are all carriejonesbooks or carriejonesbook. We have a podcast, LOVING THE STRANGE, which we stream live on Carrie’s Facebook and Twitter and YouTube on Fridays. ![]() Here’s a link to that and the artist’s website. Who is this artist and what is this song? It’s “Summer Spliff” by Broke For Free.ĪND we have a writing tips podcast called WRITE BETTER NOW! The music we’ve clipped and shortened in this podcast is awesome and is made available through the Creative Commons License. I want to tell you that I hate life lessons.Īnd we talk about naughty ghosts in a house in Texas, too. It made us proud to be Rotarians from District 5580 and was a poignant reminder that our efforts in supporting international projects do indeed have an enormous positive impact on the lives of others.Let’s talk about life lessons, you know those pity-ass short messages that are meant to give us massive epiphanies that turn our lives around completely. When viewing the dedication plaque on the front of the clinic, it was incredibly rewarding to see "The Duluth Harbortown, Skyline and Superior Rotary Clubs" listed and honoured as major contributors to the project. A doctor and nurse now service the community and this has made an enormous impact on decreasing child mortality and improving the health of all those living in the area. High in the thin air of the Andes Mountains of Bolivia, Rotarians from Duluth, Detroit Lakes, Fargo and Thunder Bay were welcomed by remote villagers brimming with appreciation, joy and passion! In the tiny community of Guitaranni, the team was led with much ceremony and celebration, by the Quechua people, to the small Rotary sponsored medical clinic for which they were so grateful. In June of 2015 a team of Rotarians from Northern Minnesota, North Dakota and Northwestern Ontario, Canada travelled to Bolivia to visit medical clinics and water reservoir projects supported by our Rotary district. ![]()
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