Audrey Kalman's Blog, page 7

From You to all of us

Pity the poor Second Person. The name alone is enough to puncture its self-esteem. Second fiddle, second best, second rate. No wonder this voice in literature gets no respect. Actually, it gets less than respect. It is reviled! “I won’t read anything written in second person.” “It’s fingernails on a blackboard to me.” “The writing…Read more From You to all of us

In pursuit of unbounded possibility

EXT. – DINER – EARLY MORNING The camera moves across a parking lot with big sky in the background and sunrise clouds, toward a diner with a plate glass window. Through the slightly misted window we see A MAN sitting alone at a table looking down into a steaming cup. A WAITRESS approaches with a…Read more In pursuit of unbounded possibility

Now to lighten the mood

With everything going on in the world these days, I recently felt the need for some light entertainment. That’s when my publisher sent me a first proof of What Remains Unsaid. After I finished jumping up and down with excitement—since this means the book will be coming in 2017—I spent the rest of a rainy…Read more Now to lighten the mood

My top 12 for 2017

Everywhere you turn this time of year you find a top this-or-that list: books, movies, political disasters. I wasn’t thinking about lists or the new year when I sat down a few days ago for my morning writing session. What emerged was a contemplation, in the form of a list, of why I pursue the…Read more My top 12 for 2017

Being vs. doing

I’ve never had a problem accomplishing things. I am the conscientious one. The one who never pulled an all-nighter in college because my papers were always finished days before their due dates. The one who organizes huge projects by breaking them into small tasks and knocking off each one until the big job is done.…Read more Being vs. doing

Hands off my m.j.*

Every election cycle, Californians get to vote for their favorite stories. True, these stories have all the reading appeal of stale cereal. They’re printed in two columns on the gray newsprint of the Official Voter Information Guide. But they are stories, these ballot propositions—stories of a future we imagine and then construct together. This year,…Read more Hands off my m.j.*

How to write a novel

Certainly, this is more difficult than writing an essay. You will envy those youthful writers who not only did it in their twenties (or earlier) but got published—and famous. To keep from becoming too discouraged, you’ll have to look for writing icons who didn’t blossom until later in life. Now that the envy is under…Read more How to write a novel

Why Donald Trump needs to read poetry (and get a cat)

This is not a political blog post per se, although when I’m done you will probably be able to tell on which end of the political spectrum I fall. Nor is the title deliberate click-bait, though I wouldn’t mind if it attracted a few additional readers. It’s not even specifically about The Donald, but rather…Read more Why Donald Trump needs to read poetry (and get a cat)

1-2-3-4-5: How to write an essay

First, you must obtain a topic. They are not hard to come by. They are everywhere: in the cafés, on the sidewalks, in the muggy offices of bureaucrats. If you lack one, your taskmaster will supply it for you in the form of a piece of literature to which you must respond. Next, formulate your…Read more 1-2-3-4-5: How to write an essay

Carry it home with you

Less than a week has passed since I returned from the Sonoma County Writers Camp, organized by two amazing writing teachers—Ellen Sussman and Elizabeth Stark—with an appearance by Angie Powers and panels of writers and agents. It was held at an equally mind-blowing location: The Occidental Arts and Ecology Center in Occidental, California. While there,…Read more Carry it home with you