Save your spot here! So, this is pretty cool. I did an hour-long teaching at Hope*Writers a few months back for their membership community. I love this community and resonate so strongly with their attitude and approach. Hope*Writers membership is a valuable investment for serious writers (of any stage—beginner to published). They have generously offered some of their most popular teachings … [Read more...] about Free (Online) Writing Teaching from S. D. Smith THIS FRIDAY (3.27.20)
Writing on Writing
Making Art For and With People You Love
I’m often tempted to be envious of friends who make music in community. The harmony on display is so attractive. I have friends in Nashville who have the kind of creative community people like me dream about. Also, singer/songwriters perform regularly and get instant feedback. They might hear clapping and see smiles the day after they write a song. It’s an endeavor so closely connected to … [Read more...] about Making Art For and With People You Love
Writer or Author?
This seems a good distinction. One I need to hear right now. "Sit down and put down everything that comes into your head and then you're a writer. But an author is one who can judge his own stuff's worth, without pity, and destroy most of it." Collette HT: Sally Lloyd-Jones … [Read more...] about Writer or Author?
A Mystery To Inhabit: We Need Stories and Art That Go Beyond Easy Solutions, Being Clean, Safe, and Instantly Uplifting
You simply must read this. This is from Jonathan Rogers, author of The Terrible Speed of Mercy: A Spiritual Biography of Flannery O'Connor and many other excellent books (pretty much all of which I have and love). Here is an excerpt from an interview he did with Treven Wax. This was my favorite part. -Sam O'Connor once wrote, "The writer should never be ashamed of staring. There is nothing that … [Read more...] about A Mystery To Inhabit: We Need Stories and Art That Go Beyond Easy Solutions, Being Clean, Safe, and Instantly Uplifting
News! My Story in a New Book
Hello, I'm Sam Smith and I approve of this massage. <finishes getting a massage> Thank you, I feel much better. I have somehow neglected to tell you guys about a project that was launched recently by Rabbit Room Press. It's a book-length journal called The Molehill and it features many different writers, from Sally Lloyd-Jones, G.K. Chesterton, and Walt Wangerin Jr., to Rabbit Room regulars … [Read more...] about News! My Story in a New Book
Seth Godin With Great Advice For Artist/Entrepreneurs
Seth Godin has so much wisdom for artists and entrepreneurs of all kinds. I appreciate his books. I don't see how this interview is anything but helpful. Am I missing something? via Ariel Hyatt HT: Chris Yokel … [Read more...] about Seth Godin With Great Advice For Artist/Entrepreneurs
Writers: Hilariously Pathetic
Alan Jacobs on how "...The ability of writers to feel offended or persecuted is pretty close to unlimited..." One of my favorite stories about writers concerns John O'Hara, who long ago wrote the book for the musical Pal Joey, based on his own novel. When the play was making a big run on Broadway, two friends of O'Hara's bumped into him on the streets of New York. "Oh John," they cooed, "We … [Read more...] about Writers: Hilariously Pathetic
Excellent Writing Rules. For Example: “Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.”
This is good, from Frank L. Visco, originally published in the June 1986 Writer's Digest. My several years in the word game have learnt me several rules: Avoid Alliteration. Always. Prepositions are not words to end sentences with. Avoid cliches like the plague. (They’re old hat.) Employ the vernacular. Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc. Parenthetical remarks (however … [Read more...] about Excellent Writing Rules. For Example: “Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.”