Project H.O.M.E. Writing Group's First Meeting

Thanks to Richard, Julie, Shirley, Renee, and Troy for making our first meeting a great success.

We talked about what we wanted to do with the group. Then we did some writing exercises and shared our work. In the spirit of Joe Brainard, the first exercise was beginning each sentence with the phrase, "I remember." Then, for fun, we played with alliteration.

Unfortunately, due to the residents' schedule consistency will be a challenge, but I think we can meet it.

Anybody have any ideas for writing exercises we could use next time?

I think next week I'll post our writings and we will receive Julie's first submission for group feedback. So stay tuned!

Music To Write By

Hey you writers - are you stuck?

Here's a trick I love. Listening to music. Especially if I'm writing for a company. It helps to listen to music that speaks to the industry I'm writing for. If I'm writing for the Board of Tourism for a Tropical Island, I'm listening to Calypso music. If I'm writing for a company that has lots of machinery and conveyor belts, I listen to techno. If I'm writing for an Italian restaurant, I listen to old school Italian music. Put on some Frank Sinatra and the words just flow out of me.

Some industries don't have an obvious soundtrack, but use your imagination and you'll be able to find a suitable genre that will get the gears going.

Classy Writer Broad

Susanna Moore was in town today interviewing for a Professor position in the graduate creative writing program at Temple University (My Alma Mater - Go Owls!). She was positive and held an intense stare. Ms. Moore was more than happy to talk with me after her reading even though she was being whisked off like some harassed celebrity. She had a dry sense of humor and never laughed at her own effortless jokes. Long gray hair fell lightly around her shoulders as she talked about writing sex scenes and her "research" for such scenes. In a word: she was elegant.