Allison K. Williams's Blog, page 50

Dear Mr. Spider

By Rachel Weinhaus

I apologize for destroying your web. It was not premeditated, and I bear no ill will towards arachnids.

I was bringing out the compost, and there you were, finishing your handiwork. A magnificent web anchored between two summer lawn chairs that had escaped the first round of fall cleaning.

The web wasn’t blocking my way, and I might not have noticed it had the sun not peeked out from behind the morning clouds and illuminated every intricate detail. Your artistry wa...

Cultivating My Inner Roger

By Charlotte Adamis

At 62, I finally understand what it means to cultivate my inner Roger.

Roger was the happiest writer I’ve ever met.

We were members of a writing group when I was in my early 20s and he was probably twice as old. Roger always came to our gatherings with a ream of typed papers, putting the rest of us to shame with his productivity—and his apparent bliss.

He was working on a novel, as I recall, loosely based on his life, and he didn’t seem to worry that it wasn’t ...

Constructing a Free-Range Writerly Identity

By Jo-Anne Kerr

I had recently retired after a thirty-nine-year career teaching English in high school and a public university. As a professor of English, I was expected not only to teach but also to engage in scholarship and service. My scholarship included conference presentations, articles for professional journals, and editing two books, for which I wrote lengthy introductions. This writing could be arduous, but I enjoyed engaging in a kind of conversation with peers about topics that ...

Do You Need the Cheese and Grapes?

By Charlotte Wilkins

And what is a Pre-Publication Party? How do you do a reading/signing event if the book’s publication date is ten days away? (With lots of finagling behind the scenes, I learned—with extended family in town, the author’s publisher called the warehouse to have boxes sent.)

Curiosity took me to this author event, at a newly opened indie bookstore in town. I wanted to support their effort to highlight writers and meet the author, but also introduce myself to the store o...

The Cure for Imposter Syndrome? The Honorary MFA

By Betsy Armstrong

Ten years ago, when I decided to become a writer, I didn’t realize I was signing up to pretend to be a writer while suffering the worst imposter syndrome of my life. I had many reasons to feel like an imposter. On the verge of turning fifty, I had just adopted two Russian orphans, aged ten and twelve, and “retired” from a nonprofit executive role (where I felt, mostly, quite competent) to become a full-time mom who, although I loved these kiddos, hadn’t a clue what she w...

When a Cold Nose is at the Pearly Gates: Writing a Pet’s Obituary

By Laurel E. Hunt

Like many people of a certain age, I often read the obituaries of complete strangers. Often, the euphemisms describing a death (“carried home by the angels”) are cliché, but I keep reading because this person’s story is their legacy; their work, interests, and values contribute to how they will be remembered. As a lasting testament to a life, the obituary comforts family and friends. Their loved one’s life mattered.

When a beloved pet dies, there are no expected ritual...

The Frozen Pond of Chapter Openings

By Margaret Anne Mary Moore

“I didn’t realize at the time how much of a frozen pond my life was back then, at six years old.”

But I did realize the impact of this line as I crafted my memoir in my mid-twenties.

My debut memoir Bold, Brave, and Breathless: Reveling in Childhood’s Splendiferous Glories While Facing Disability and Loss chronicles my experiences navigating childhood with a physical disability, cerebral palsy, a wheelchair, walker, and Assistive and Augmentative Communica...

When Writing Honestly Makes You a Bad Wife and Mother

By Summer Koester

“You always say the brutal truth,” my nine-year-old scolded the other day. “You really should try to do more ‘white lying’.”

Dang, she has a good vocabulary, I thought. And dammit, she was also right.

Here’s the thing: I’m a writer. Here’s the thing about being a writer: We can’t. Not. Lie. 

Well, maybe some writers can, but I can’t. Writers are supposed to be honest. Ernest Hemingway said, “Write the truest sentence that you know.” David Sedaris said, “Connectin...

On Guides and Journeys

By Tamara Belinfanti

A few years ago, I found myself called to write exuberant, colorful stories with riotous characters that defied rational thinking and did not fit the mold of legal academia, which was my background. At first, like so many, I ignored the inner whisper to explore new territory. But the thing about callings is that they get louder when you get really still or something shakes your world. For me, the latter forced the former: my closest mentor in the law field passed sudd...

Five Ways Writing Has Infiltrated My Life

By Abby Alten Schwartz

I remember when writing was confined to my working hours. As a healthcare writer and marketing consultant, I rarely thought about client work in my downtime, short of stressing about getting it all done.

That all changed in 2020, when I began exploring other genres. Suddenly, creative nonfiction, memoir, essays, reported stories, humor and flash fiction were competing for my attention. Once the ideas started flowing, they spilled into my nights and weekends, pooli...