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mediocre jazz
The other day, I came upon some songs I’d recorded back in 2013. A couple I had written, some covers, some classical and some mediocre jazz.* I hadn’t thought about them in years. When I listened to them now…I was shocked. They’re WAY better than I remembered. At the time, I was 25 and living…
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the fear of starting
“It is not possible to make a mistake.” That’s what Mona tells John when he arrives on the island in Breakfast of Champions (the Kurt Vonnegut novel). It’s the customary greeting in her culture when meeting a shy person, she says. It’s also what I tell people who want to write, but are afraid to…
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how to write a book
In 2019, I decided to drive around the U.S. The plan didn’t start off that way. At first, I was just going to visit my sister in Atlanta. Then my brother in Mississippi, since it was only 4 hours away. Then, Why not New Orleans? Houston’s only a couple hours from there. Well if I’m…
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on taking feedback
Here are a couple things that will drive you bonkers when you’re writing your book: 🚫 Trying to please everyone 🚫 Bending over backwards to accommodate everyone’s suggestions 🚫 Trying to avoid even the smallest rejection The thing is… Trying to write everyone’s favorite book—and making every change that anyone suggests—will almost always result in…
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where do I start?
“I’ve always wanted to write a book,” a friend told me recently. “But where do you start?” I hear this all the time. Many people have ideas for a book—yet most never get written, because getting started is one of the hardest things to do, ever. I don’t have all the answers, but one strength…
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will anyone want to read what I write?
“Will anyone want to read my book?” “I don’t know how interesting my story is.” “I want to write my memoir, but I doubt anyone will want to read it.” Listen: I’m learning (or attempting to learn) Quechua. Last week, we learned that the word for “child” is gendered – but not according to the…
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how do you motivate yourself to write?
How do you motivate yourself to write? What do you do when you’re out of ideas? How do you keep going when inspiration has dried up? Making a schedule, having a deadline, setting goals for yourself – those can all be great ways to “stay regular” with writing. But that can result in flat, “obligatory”…
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when did you first want to write?
When did you first feel the pull to write? Me, I was about 4. I “wrote” my first book by stapling construction paper together and squiggling lines on the pages inside. My grandmother, who took care of us most days, would sit at the counter writing (journal, letters), and my sister was a bookworm even…
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who would want to read about my life?
“I’d love to write about my life, but I don’t know if that would interest anybody.” “Who would want to read about my childhood / career / travels / divorce / etc?” When I lived in Brooklyn, one of my roommates taught math at City College. He taught the same class every semester: freshman-level calc.…
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how to write memoir without clear memories
“I want to write about my childhood, but I don’t remember all the details.” “How can I write my memoir if I don’t remember a lot of details about what happened?” I hear this a lot from my clients, and it’s a good question. How do you write about an event – and make it…
Kimberly Bunker, MFA 