Sheila Webster Boneham's Blog, page 24

Memoirs and "Memoirish" Nonfiction

My newest Write Your Memoir class begins this afternoon through the Cameron Art Museum's Museum School here in Wilmington, and I'm excited. I love teaching almost as much as I love writing, and the class is full, so I anticipate a rewarding and creative few weeks.

This class is focused on memoir, but memoir writers are everywhere you find writers. Whenever I teach writing classes, attend

Reading for Earth Day and for Life

  Every time I write a new novel about something sombre and sobering and terrible I think, 'oh Lord, they're not going to want to go here'. But they do. Readers of fiction read, I think, for a deeper embrace of the world, of reality. And that's brave.        ~ Barbara Kingsolver

 Today is Earth Day 2013. What are you reading? Here is a very eclectic list of suggestions to read, or re-read,

Respond to Darkness with the Light of Writing

This week I focused on how writers confront emotionally difficult material. Monday's post, Tough Calls - Handling Gritty Issues in Cozy Fiction, spoke to finding a balance between encouraging readers to learn more about serious issues and, well, keeping them reading when they're really in your book or story for entertainment. On Wednesday I switched to nonfiction with Writing What's Difficult:

Writing What's Difficult: Finding the Balance

On Monday, I wrote about handling gritty issues in "cozy" fiction, that is, fiction that is not generally expected to include graphic violence. Emotionally difficult subjects are not, of course, exclusive to fiction. Nonfiction, including memoirs, travel and nature writing, ethnography, history, and more, often addresses painful and ugly subjects. So does poetry. And drama. Writing is, after all,

Tough Calls - Handling Gritty Issues in Cozy Fiction





 

If you have read Drop Dead on Recall, my first Animals in Focus mystery, you know that dogs and cats and other critters are vital characters. After all, the series isn't called Animals in Focus for nothing. In fact, each book in the series spotlights a different "animal activity" and each mystery hinges on an animal-related issue. Just as they do in real life, serious issues can

Write Here, Write Now - I'm Back!

I'm back - almost, anyway. Monday, April 15, is "relaunch the blog day" for Write Here, Write Now! And you're invited. I hope you'll give it a test drive for a couple of weeks. I'll post on my Facebook Page and Twitter to let readers know the day's topic and, when relevant, who my guest is. If you want to be sure you don't miss anything, why not follow my blogs by email (see form at right)?

So

WHWN Wins a SUNSHINE AWARD!

Thanks to author Lois Winston for giving Write Here, Write Now a Sunshine Award, which is for “bloggers who positively
and creatively inspire others in the blogosphere.” Lois, or rather the heroine of her Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries, writes the Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers blog.






 

Like many such online honors, the Sunshine Award asks recipients to do a few things:


Thank the

Hop on Over - Spring Brings Renewal to Blogs, Too!

I've just added some new guidelines for potential guests on Write Here, Write Now - check the "Be My Guest" tab above if you're interested in learning more. I welcome authors, writers, editors, publishing professionals, booksellers, writing teachers, reviewers, and potentially others who have something to say about books, short forms, poetry, even some visual art.

I have changed the daily

Spring Updates

Happy Spring!

 

If you follow my blog, you know that I've been on hiatus for much of the winter. I've been writing, writing, writing, and doing a few other things as well. Write Here, Write Now! will resume soon with a fresh new look, new subject matter, and a select few new guests. 

 

In the meantime, here's what's coming up. I look forward to "seeing" you in a month of so!

 

Here's the

Writing on Wednesday: Speaking of (Writing) Goals

Here we are again - a New Year! Maybe it's the brand new date book in my computer bag, or the brand new 365 Dogs calendar in the kitchen, but starting a new year always feels hopeful to me, and the tiniest bit intimidating. It's not unlike the brand new spiral-bound notebook on the first day of class - a clean start full of possibilities, and I don't want to mess it up. But here's the thing: to