Quiet Writing: Start with an Everyday Moment

By Andrea A. Firth

Early on in grad school, one of my mentors told me that I was a quiet writer. As one of the oldest in the cohort (I started my MFA program at 51), I was nervous about fitting in, and this comment from one of the faculty I most admired set me on edge. I didn’t know what he meant. I’m not a particularly loud person, but I wouldn’t describe myself as an introvert either. He read the concern on my face and gave me a reassuring smile.

I’d fallen for the essay form and was ...