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Yearly Archives: 2014

Letter to My Son

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on December 31, 2014 by Sheila BenderDecember 31, 2014

Writing It Real members and students know my love of the epistolary (letter) form in literature and the many examples of it I offer as writing models. During the holiday season, a time of letters from those near and far, I am especially inspired to write to my son, Seth. At the letter’s end, I … Continue reading →

To access this post, you must purchase Online Personal Essay Writing Workshop + Membership, Development and Line Editing + Membership, Yesim Cimcoz Where Story Begins + Membership, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor – How Editing Helps You Find Your Way + Membership 11:00AM, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor – How Editing Helps You Find Your Way + Membership 2:00PM, Poetry Writing Workshop + Membership, In-Class Writing and Responses – Your Writing Will Surprise You! + Membership 2:00PM, In-Class Writing and Responses – Your Writing Will Surprise You! + Membership 11:00 AM, Summer Reading Summer Writing Plus Membership, Write More Healthy Starts Plus Membership, You: Writing in the 2nd Person Online Workshop Plus Membership, Keep Goin’ On Your Writing over the Holidays Plus Membership, Writing for Young Readers Plus Membership, Introduction to Scrivener — Plus Membership, Writing Healthy Starts + Membership, Eight Half-Hour Consults + Membership, Befriending the Giant + Membership, Write! Write! Write! Writing Exercises for Writing Prose from Personal Experience + Membership, Phone Consult: 3750 Words or Six Poems + Membership, The 3 E’s: Epistolary, Ekphrastic and Epideictic + Membership, Four Half-Hour Consults + Membership or New! Using the Flash Series Technique to Write Memoir.

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Posted in Literary Gallery, Sheila Bender On Writing, WIR2014 | Tagged personal essay

20 Dialog Building Prompts

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on December 17, 2014 by Sheila BenderDecember 17, 2014

Dialog moves a narrative along in fiction, personal essay, memoir and poetry, too. Playing with ways to experiment with dialog will help you build your dexterity with this aspect of the writing craft. And playing with the prompts might have you creating some new writing you’ll want to expand. Write a conversation between three people–one who … Continue reading →

To access this post, you must purchase Online Personal Essay Writing Workshop + Membership, Development and Line Editing + Membership, Yesim Cimcoz Where Story Begins + Membership, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor – How Editing Helps You Find Your Way + Membership 11:00AM, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor – How Editing Helps You Find Your Way + Membership 2:00PM, Poetry Writing Workshop + Membership, In-Class Writing and Responses – Your Writing Will Surprise You! + Membership 2:00PM, In-Class Writing and Responses – Your Writing Will Surprise You! + Membership 11:00 AM, Summer Reading Summer Writing Plus Membership, Write More Healthy Starts Plus Membership, You: Writing in the 2nd Person Online Workshop Plus Membership, Keep Goin’ On Your Writing over the Holidays Plus Membership, Writing for Young Readers Plus Membership, Introduction to Scrivener — Plus Membership, Writing Healthy Starts + Membership, Eight Half-Hour Consults + Membership, Befriending the Giant + Membership, Write! Write! Write! Writing Exercises for Writing Prose from Personal Experience + Membership, Phone Consult: 3750 Words or Six Poems + Membership, The 3 E’s: Epistolary, Ekphrastic and Epideictic + Membership, Four Half-Hour Consults + Membership or New! Using the Flash Series Technique to Write Memoir.

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Posted in Instructional Exercises, WIR2014 | Tagged Writing Craft Tools, writing dialog, writing exercises, Writing Fiction

20 Character Building Exercises

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on December 10, 2014 by Sheila BenderDecember 10, 2014

When we write fiction, we need to get inside our characters’ beings. When we write memoir, we need to learn more about our own character as well as the character of people who have influenced our experience. But sometimes we need a pathway to find fresh material. Here are 20 exercises for getting to know our characters and … Continue reading →

To access this post, you must purchase Online Personal Essay Writing Workshop + Membership, Development and Line Editing + Membership, Yesim Cimcoz Where Story Begins + Membership, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor – How Editing Helps You Find Your Way + Membership 11:00AM, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor – How Editing Helps You Find Your Way + Membership 2:00PM, Poetry Writing Workshop + Membership, In-Class Writing and Responses – Your Writing Will Surprise You! + Membership 2:00PM, In-Class Writing and Responses – Your Writing Will Surprise You! + Membership 11:00 AM, Summer Reading Summer Writing Plus Membership, Write More Healthy Starts Plus Membership, You: Writing in the 2nd Person Online Workshop Plus Membership, Keep Goin’ On Your Writing over the Holidays Plus Membership, Writing for Young Readers Plus Membership, Introduction to Scrivener — Plus Membership, Writing Healthy Starts + Membership, Eight Half-Hour Consults + Membership, Befriending the Giant + Membership, Write! Write! Write! Writing Exercises for Writing Prose from Personal Experience + Membership, Phone Consult: 3750 Words or Six Poems + Membership, The 3 E’s: Epistolary, Ekphrastic and Epideictic + Membership, Four Half-Hour Consults + Membership or New! Using the Flash Series Technique to Write Memoir.

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Posted in Instructional Exercises, WIR2014 | Tagged Writing Craft Tools, writing exercises, Writing Fiction

Keeping a Writer’s Journal? 21 Prompts to Help You

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on December 3, 2014 by Sheila BenderDecember 3, 2014

Keeping a notebook of short descriptions, thoughts, overheard conversations, quotes and even complaints and worries will keep us in the writing mode, even when our days are filled with other activities and concerns. I have been reading a wise and inspiring book called The Journal Keeper, A Memoir, by Phyllis Theroux. The author put together journal entries … Continue reading →

To access this post, you must purchase Online Personal Essay Writing Workshop + Membership, Development and Line Editing + Membership, Yesim Cimcoz Where Story Begins + Membership, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor – How Editing Helps You Find Your Way + Membership 11:00AM, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor – How Editing Helps You Find Your Way + Membership 2:00PM, Poetry Writing Workshop + Membership, In-Class Writing and Responses – Your Writing Will Surprise You! + Membership 2:00PM, In-Class Writing and Responses – Your Writing Will Surprise You! + Membership 11:00 AM, Summer Reading Summer Writing Plus Membership, Write More Healthy Starts Plus Membership, You: Writing in the 2nd Person Online Workshop Plus Membership, Keep Goin’ On Your Writing over the Holidays Plus Membership, Writing for Young Readers Plus Membership, Introduction to Scrivener — Plus Membership, Writing Healthy Starts + Membership, Eight Half-Hour Consults + Membership, Befriending the Giant + Membership, Write! Write! Write! Writing Exercises for Writing Prose from Personal Experience + Membership, Phone Consult: 3750 Words or Six Poems + Membership, The 3 E’s: Epistolary, Ekphrastic and Epideictic + Membership, Four Half-Hour Consults + Membership or New! Using the Flash Series Technique to Write Memoir.

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Posted in Instructional Exercises, WIR2014 | Tagged journaling, literary journals, writing exercises

Why Write? My Answers in an Intervew with Mark Matousek

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on November 26, 2014 by Sheila BenderNovember 26, 2014

Writing is, to me, a friend with extraordinary benefits. This Thanksgiving, I offer a link to an interview for which I am grateful. Mark Matousek chose to interview me on writing as a healing activity. He asked me the kind of questions that allowed me to dig deep and talk about why writing matters. I hope listening … Continue reading →

To access this post, you must purchase Online Personal Essay Writing Workshop + Membership, Development and Line Editing + Membership, Yesim Cimcoz Where Story Begins + Membership, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor – How Editing Helps You Find Your Way + Membership 11:00AM, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor – How Editing Helps You Find Your Way + Membership 2:00PM, Poetry Writing Workshop + Membership, In-Class Writing and Responses – Your Writing Will Surprise You! + Membership 2:00PM, In-Class Writing and Responses – Your Writing Will Surprise You! + Membership 11:00 AM, Summer Reading Summer Writing Plus Membership, Write More Healthy Starts Plus Membership, You: Writing in the 2nd Person Online Workshop Plus Membership, Keep Goin’ On Your Writing over the Holidays Plus Membership, Writing for Young Readers Plus Membership, Introduction to Scrivener — Plus Membership, Writing Healthy Starts + Membership, Eight Half-Hour Consults + Membership, Befriending the Giant + Membership, Write! Write! Write! Writing Exercises for Writing Prose from Personal Experience + Membership, Phone Consult: 3750 Words or Six Poems + Membership, The 3 E’s: Epistolary, Ekphrastic and Epideictic + Membership, Four Half-Hour Consults + Membership or New! Using the Flash Series Technique to Write Memoir.

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Posted in Sheila Bender On Writing, WIR2014

Play with 20 Scene Building Prompts

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on November 19, 2014 by Sheila BenderNovember 19, 2014

Last week, I wrote about doing a scene-writing exercise short story writer and teacher, Ron Carlson, invented. This week, I am posting 20 ideas I’ve put together for practice writing scenes that will help you develop dexterity in presenting your story, fiction or nonfiction, with the kinds of phrasing and details that absorb readers. Try … Continue reading →

To access this post, you must purchase Online Personal Essay Writing Workshop + Membership, Development and Line Editing + Membership, Yesim Cimcoz Where Story Begins + Membership, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor – How Editing Helps You Find Your Way + Membership 11:00AM, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor – How Editing Helps You Find Your Way + Membership 2:00PM, Poetry Writing Workshop + Membership, In-Class Writing and Responses – Your Writing Will Surprise You! + Membership 2:00PM, In-Class Writing and Responses – Your Writing Will Surprise You! + Membership 11:00 AM, Summer Reading Summer Writing Plus Membership, Write More Healthy Starts Plus Membership, You: Writing in the 2nd Person Online Workshop Plus Membership, Keep Goin’ On Your Writing over the Holidays Plus Membership, Writing for Young Readers Plus Membership, Introduction to Scrivener — Plus Membership, Writing Healthy Starts + Membership, Eight Half-Hour Consults + Membership, Befriending the Giant + Membership, Write! Write! Write! Writing Exercises for Writing Prose from Personal Experience + Membership, Phone Consult: 3750 Words or Six Poems + Membership, The 3 E’s: Epistolary, Ekphrastic and Epideictic + Membership, Four Half-Hour Consults + Membership or New! Using the Flash Series Technique to Write Memoir.

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Posted in Instructional Exercises, WIR2014 | Tagged Trusting Images, Writing Craft Tools, writing exercises, Writing Scenes

The Physicality of Writing Scenes and Characters

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on November 12, 2014 by Sheila BenderNovember 16, 2014

As writers, we are aware of the dictum “Show, don’t tell,” but sometimes what we think of as showing turns out to be only another way of telling and avoiding showing. On this subject, I often quote fiction writer Ron Carlson’s words in his book, Ron Carlson Writes a Story: Outer story, the physical world, is … Continue reading →

To access this post, you must purchase Online Personal Essay Writing Workshop + Membership, Development and Line Editing + Membership, Yesim Cimcoz Where Story Begins + Membership, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor – How Editing Helps You Find Your Way + Membership 11:00AM, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor – How Editing Helps You Find Your Way + Membership 2:00PM, Poetry Writing Workshop + Membership, In-Class Writing and Responses – Your Writing Will Surprise You! + Membership 2:00PM, In-Class Writing and Responses – Your Writing Will Surprise You! + Membership 11:00 AM, Summer Reading Summer Writing Plus Membership, Write More Healthy Starts Plus Membership, You: Writing in the 2nd Person Online Workshop Plus Membership, Keep Goin’ On Your Writing over the Holidays Plus Membership, Writing for Young Readers Plus Membership, Introduction to Scrivener — Plus Membership, Writing Healthy Starts + Membership, Eight Half-Hour Consults + Membership, Befriending the Giant + Membership, Write! Write! Write! Writing Exercises for Writing Prose from Personal Experience + Membership, Phone Consult: 3750 Words or Six Poems + Membership, The 3 E’s: Epistolary, Ekphrastic and Epideictic + Membership, Four Half-Hour Consults + Membership or New! Using the Flash Series Technique to Write Memoir.

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Posted in Instructional Exercises, WIR2014 | Tagged Trusting Images, Writing Craft Tools, writing exercises, Writing Scenes

Grandma’s Fridge

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on November 5, 2014 by Jennifer WagleyNovember 6, 2014

Years ago, Jennifer Wagley entered a vivid, funny account of her perceptions of her grandmother’s attitudes toward food — buying, keeping, and serving it. It turns out she did this in 12 paragraphs, and as you know, we are celebrating our 12 year Writing It Real anniversary asking for essays that use the number 12. Check our contest guidelines … Continue reading →

To access this post, you must purchase Online Personal Essay Writing Workshop + Membership, Development and Line Editing + Membership, Yesim Cimcoz Where Story Begins + Membership, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor – How Editing Helps You Find Your Way + Membership 11:00AM, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor – How Editing Helps You Find Your Way + Membership 2:00PM, Poetry Writing Workshop + Membership, In-Class Writing and Responses – Your Writing Will Surprise You! + Membership 2:00PM, In-Class Writing and Responses – Your Writing Will Surprise You! + Membership 11:00 AM, Summer Reading Summer Writing Plus Membership, Write More Healthy Starts Plus Membership, You: Writing in the 2nd Person Online Workshop Plus Membership, Keep Goin’ On Your Writing over the Holidays Plus Membership, Writing for Young Readers Plus Membership, Introduction to Scrivener — Plus Membership, Writing Healthy Starts + Membership, Eight Half-Hour Consults + Membership, Befriending the Giant + Membership, Write! Write! Write! Writing Exercises for Writing Prose from Personal Experience + Membership, Phone Consult: 3750 Words or Six Poems + Membership, The 3 E’s: Epistolary, Ekphrastic and Epideictic + Membership, Four Half-Hour Consults + Membership or New! Using the Flash Series Technique to Write Memoir.

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Posted in Literary Gallery, WIR2014 | Tagged contest winner, personal essay

Mark Matousek Interviews Sheila

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on November 2, 2014 by Mark MatousekJuly 5, 2018

Mark Matousek interviews Sheila about her teaching and the writing of her memoir.

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Posted in Audio Interviews | Tagged podcast

In Conversation with Adrianne Harun

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on November 1, 2014 by Adrianne HarunOctober 19, 2022

Sheila talks with Adrienne Harun about her award winning novel, A Man Came Out of a Door in the Mountain, and her career as a fiction writer and instructor in the Rainier Writer’s Workshop.

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Posted in Audio Interviews | Tagged podcast

In Conversation with Patty Cogen

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on November 1, 2014 by Patty CogenJuly 5, 2018

In Conversation with Patty Cogen Sheila talks with Patty Cogen, author of nonfiction for parents of internationally adopted children, as well as poet and essayist.

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Posted in Audio Interviews | Tagged podcast

In Conversation with Dennis Must

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on November 1, 2014 by Dennis MustOctober 5, 2023

Sheila talks with Massachusetts author and playwright Dennis Must about his recent novel, Hush Now, Don’t Explain, from Coffee House Press, Seattle.

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Posted in Audio Interviews | Tagged podcast

In Conversation with Andrea Hurst

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on November 1, 2014 by Andrea HurstJuly 5, 2018

Sheila talks with agent and novelist Andrea Hurst about the new aspects of agenting, publishing and writing.

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Posted in Audio Interviews | Tagged podcast

In Conversation with John Pierce

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on November 1, 2014 by John PierceJuly 5, 2018

Sheila talks with John Pierce, technical editor for companies such as Microsoft as well as editor of poetry for Copper Canyon and Floating Bridge Press.

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Posted in Audio Interviews | Tagged podcast

In Conversation with Susan Bono

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on November 1, 2014 by Susan BonoJuly 5, 2018

Sheila talks with Susan Bono about her career as a writer, editor, publisher and teacher.

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Posted in Audio Interviews | Tagged podcast

In Conversation with Holly Hughes

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on November 1, 2014 by Holly J. HughesJuly 5, 2018

Sheila talks with poet Holly J. Hughes about her poetry and her teaching career as a writer.

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Posted in Audio Interviews | Tagged podcast

In Conversation with Mara Lathrop

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on November 1, 2014 by Mara LathropOctober 19, 2022

Sheila talks with playwright Mara Lathrop about her writing and her career.

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Posted in Audio Interviews | Tagged podcast

In Conversation with Sue William Silverman

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on October 31, 2014 by Sue William SilvermanJuly 5, 2018

Sheila talks with award-winning memoirist Sue William Silverman about her career in writing and teaching and her newest memoir, The Pat Boone Fan Club.

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Posted in Audio Interviews | Tagged podcast

In Conversation with Gayle Kaune

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on October 31, 2014 by Gayle KuaneJuly 5, 2018

Sheila speaks with poet Gayle Kaune.

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Posted in Audio Interviews | Tagged podcast

In Conversation with Barbara Stahura

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on October 31, 2014 by Barbara StahuraJuly 5, 2018

Sheila talks with Barbara Stahura about her work as a novelist, translator, and creative nonfiction writer.

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Posted in Audio Interviews | Tagged podcast

In Conversation with Barbara Sjoholm

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on October 31, 2014 by Barbara SjoholmOctober 19, 2022

Sheila talks with Barbara Sjoholm about her work as a novelist, translator, and creative nonfiction writer.

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Posted in Audio Interviews | Tagged podcast

In Conversation with Susan Wingate

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on October 31, 2014 by Susan WingateJuly 5, 2018

Sheila talks with fiction writer Susan Wingate about writing and promoting one’s work.

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Posted in Audio Interviews | Tagged podcast

In Conversation with David Reich

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on October 31, 2014 by David ReichJuly 5, 2018

Sheila speaks with writer David Reich about his memoir in progress.

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Posted in Audio Interviews | Tagged podcast

In Conversation with Glenn Fleishman

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on October 31, 2014 by Glenn FleishmanJuly 5, 2018

Sheila speaks with journalist and online publisher Glenn Fleishman.

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Posted in Audio Interviews | Tagged podcast

In Conversation with Judith Kitchen & Stan Rubin

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on October 31, 2014 by Judith KitchenJuly 5, 2018

Sheila talks with the heads of The Rainier Writers’ Workshop about low-residency MFA programs.

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Posted in Audio Interviews | Tagged podcast

In Conversation with Tina Tessina

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on October 31, 2014 by Tina TessinaJuly 5, 2018

Sheila speaks with Tina Tessina, who as a psychotherapist and author of 13 books, works and writes about couples and romance.

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Posted in Audio Interviews | Tagged podcast

In Conversation with Ruth Folit

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on October 31, 2014 by Ruth FolitJuly 5, 2018

Sheila talks with Ruth Folit, creator of LifeJournal software (which includes an add on for writers) and founder of the International Association for Journal Writing.

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Posted in Audio Interviews | Tagged podcast

In Conversation with Julie VanPelt

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on October 31, 2014 by Julie VanPeltOctober 19, 2022

Sheila talks with writer and editor Julie VanPelt.

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Posted in Audio Interviews | Tagged podcast

In Conversation with Carolyn Kortge

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on October 31, 2014 by Carolyn Scott KortgeJuly 5, 2018

Sheila speaks with journalist Carolyn Kortge about her nonfiction work, The Spirited Walker: Fitness Walking for Clarity, Balance, and Spiritual Connection.

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Posted in Audio Interviews | Tagged podcast

In Conversation with Susan Rich

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on October 31, 2014 by Susan RichJuly 5, 2018

Sheila speaks with poet Susan Rich about her collection Cloud Pharmacy and teaching poetry.  

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Posted in Audio Interviews | Tagged podcast

In Conversation with Terry Persun

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on October 31, 2014 by Terry PersunOctober 19, 2022

Sheila talks about writing and publishing with Terry Persun, author of over a dozen books of fiction and poetry.

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Posted in Audio Interviews | Tagged podcast | Leave a reply

In Conversation with Judith Skillman

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on October 31, 2014 by Judith SkillmanJuly 5, 2018

Sheila talks with poet Judith Skillman about her new books of both poetry and lessons for poets.

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Posted in Audio Interviews | Tagged podcast | Leave a reply

Interview with Pam Houston

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on October 29, 2014 by Pam HoustonJuly 5, 2018

Sheila speaks with fiction writer Pam Houston about her book Contents May Have Shifted, the Port Townsend, WA 2013 Community Read.

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Posted in Audio Interviews | Tagged podcast

In Conversation with Jordan Hartt

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on October 29, 2014 by Jordan HarttJuly 5, 2018

Sheila speaks with Centrum Foundation’s Port Townsend Writers’ Conference program manager Jordan Hartt about his writing and project of the heart Writing Across Borders.

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Posted in Audio Interviews | Tagged podcast

In Conversation with Cheryl Merrill

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on October 29, 2014 by Cheryl MerrillJuly 5, 2018

Sheila talks with Cheryl Merrill about the writings in her memoir-in-progress about several trips to Africa to walk with elephants.

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Posted in Audio Interviews | Tagged podcast

In Conversation with Ellie Matthews & Carl Youngman

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on October 29, 2014 by Ellie MathewsJuly 5, 2018

Sheila talks with author and poet Ellie Matthews and her husband Carl Youngman about their work with the Madrona Writers and how prompts facilitate writing.

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Posted in Audio Interviews | Tagged podcast

Writing the Interruptions

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on October 29, 2014 by Sheila BenderOctober 5, 2023

In her book, Marry Your Muse, Jan Philips writes about a day at a mountain cabin when she and her partner were spending time writing. Jan’s cousins, ages 10 and 12, showed up at the door. When Jan told the … Continue reading →

Posted in Instructional Exercises, WIR2014 | Tagged overcoming writer's block, writing exercises | 1 Reply

In Conversation with Jeannine Hall Gailey

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on October 29, 2014 by Jeannine Hall GaileyJuly 5, 2018

Sheila talks with Jeannine Hall Gailey about her life in poetry.

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Posted in Audio Interviews | Tagged podcast

In Conversation with Michael D’Allesandro

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on October 29, 2014 by Michael D'AlessandroJuly 5, 2018

Sheila talks with Michael D’Alessandro about his poetry and his small poetry press project, bedouin books.

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Posted in Audio Interviews | Tagged podcast

In Conversation With Brenda Miller

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on October 29, 2014 by Brenda MillerJuly 5, 2018

Sheila talks with creative nonfiction writer Brenda Miller about her work and teaching.

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Posted in Audio Interviews | Tagged podcast

In Conversation with Kathryn Trueblood

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on October 28, 2014 by Kathryn TruebloodOctober 5, 2023

Sheila talks with feminist fiction writer Kathryn Trueblood about her work and the publishing world.

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Posted in WIR2014 | Leave a reply

In Conversation with Elizabeth Austen

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on October 28, 2014 by Elizabeth AustenJuly 5, 2018

Sheila talks with poet Elizabeth Austen about her work as a poet and her tenure as WA State Poet Laureate. Visit Elizabeth’s website here or find out more about her books.

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Posted in Audio Interviews | Tagged podcast

In Conversation with Christi Killien Glover

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on October 27, 2014 by Christi Killien GloverJuly 5, 2018

Sheila speaks with writer Christi Killien Glover about her blog and novella.

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Posted in Audio Interviews | Tagged podcast

In Conversation with Martha Silano and Kelli Russell Agodon

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on October 27, 2014 by Martha SilanoJuly 5, 2018

Sheila talks with poets Kelli Russell Agodon and Martha Silano about their work encouraging each other’s writing as well as creating their book, The Daily Poet: Day-By-Day Prompts for Your Writing Practice.

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Posted in Audio Interviews | Tagged podcast

In Conversation with Midge Raymond

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on October 27, 2014 by Midge RaymondJuly 5, 2018

Sheila talks with author and publisher Midge Raymond about her fiction, non-fiction and Ashland Creek Press.

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Posted in Audio Interviews | Tagged podcast

In Conversation with Stephanie Tivona Reith

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on October 27, 2014 by Stephanie Tivona ReithJuly 5, 2018

Sheila talks with chaplain Stephanie Tivona Reith about writing contemporary psalms.

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Posted in Audio Interviews | Tagged podcast

In Conversation with David Speck

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on October 27, 2014 by David SpeckOctober 19, 2022

Sheila talks with the late David Speck, co-founder of the JewelBox Theater in Poulsbo, WA and two poet guests about presenting poems to audiences.

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Posted in Audio Interviews | Tagged podcast

The Honor of Writing a Foreword to an Anthology

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on October 15, 2014 by Sheila BenderOctober 15, 2014

The following is the 2013 foreword I was honored to write for the anthology Times They Were A’Changing: Women Remember the 60s and 70s, edited by Linda Joy Myers, Amber Lea Starfire and Kate Farrell. Paying tribute to the vibrant decades during which I was a college student and next a mom to two young children was certainly a … Continue reading →

To access this post, you must purchase Online Personal Essay Writing Workshop + Membership, Development and Line Editing + Membership, Yesim Cimcoz Where Story Begins + Membership, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor – How Editing Helps You Find Your Way + Membership 11:00AM, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor – How Editing Helps You Find Your Way + Membership 2:00PM, Poetry Writing Workshop + Membership, In-Class Writing and Responses – Your Writing Will Surprise You! + Membership 2:00PM, In-Class Writing and Responses – Your Writing Will Surprise You! + Membership 11:00 AM, Summer Reading Summer Writing Plus Membership, Write More Healthy Starts Plus Membership, You: Writing in the 2nd Person Online Workshop Plus Membership, Keep Goin’ On Your Writing over the Holidays Plus Membership, Writing for Young Readers Plus Membership, Introduction to Scrivener — Plus Membership, Writing Healthy Starts + Membership, Eight Half-Hour Consults + Membership, Befriending the Giant + Membership, Write! Write! Write! Writing Exercises for Writing Prose from Personal Experience + Membership, Phone Consult: 3750 Words or Six Poems + Membership, The 3 E’s: Epistolary, Ekphrastic and Epideictic + Membership, Four Half-Hour Consults + Membership or New! Using the Flash Series Technique to Write Memoir.

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Posted in Literary Gallery, WIR2014, Writers Building a Community of Readers, Writing Makes a Difference | Tagged personal essay, women's voices

Beach House: How do writers get the conscious mind to meld with the unconscious?

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on October 8, 2014 by Christi Killien GloverOctober 8, 2014

What follows is Chapter Five from the forthcoming updated edition of Writing In A New Convertible with the Top Down: A Unique Guide for Writers. In 1992, Christi Killien Glover and I began an exchange of letters to explore and articulate our writing processes. We wanted to help new writers invest in the magic of … Continue reading →

To access this post, you must purchase Online Personal Essay Writing Workshop + Membership, Development and Line Editing + Membership, Yesim Cimcoz Where Story Begins + Membership, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor – How Editing Helps You Find Your Way + Membership 11:00AM, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor – How Editing Helps You Find Your Way + Membership 2:00PM, Poetry Writing Workshop + Membership, In-Class Writing and Responses – Your Writing Will Surprise You! + Membership 2:00PM, In-Class Writing and Responses – Your Writing Will Surprise You! + Membership 11:00 AM, Summer Reading Summer Writing Plus Membership, Write More Healthy Starts Plus Membership, You: Writing in the 2nd Person Online Workshop Plus Membership, Keep Goin’ On Your Writing over the Holidays Plus Membership, Writing for Young Readers Plus Membership, Introduction to Scrivener — Plus Membership, Writing Healthy Starts + Membership, Eight Half-Hour Consults + Membership, Befriending the Giant + Membership, Write! Write! Write! Writing Exercises for Writing Prose from Personal Experience + Membership, Phone Consult: 3750 Words or Six Poems + Membership, The 3 E’s: Epistolary, Ekphrastic and Epideictic + Membership, Four Half-Hour Consults + Membership or New! Using the Flash Series Technique to Write Memoir.

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Posted in Instructional Exercises, Sheila Bender On Writing, WIR2014

Last Words, Glenn Fleishman’s Essay on Loss

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on October 1, 2014 by Glenn FleishmanOctober 1, 2014

Glenn Fleishman’s expertly executed and moving personal essay about the his mother’s death and the last time he saw her will resonate with any of us who are striving to write the details of loss and our lives at the time of our loss. Notice the mix of medical information and terminology, with personal medical … Continue reading →

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Posted in Literary Gallery, WIR2014 | Tagged personal essay

How a Personal Essay Becomes Fully Manifest

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on September 24, 2014 by Betty ShaferSeptember 25, 2014

Betty Shafer asked me to read an essay about losing her adult son. It had been a year since she began the essay following an emotional author reading I gave at the Colorado Mountain Writer’s Conference she attended in June 2001. Wishing to include memories about her son John in a book she was making … Continue reading →

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Posted in Revisions - Sample Successes, WIR2014 | Tagged personal essay, revising writing, trust your writing

A Lesson About the Value of Writing from Henrik Ibsen’s Play Peer Gynt

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on September 17, 2014 by Sheila BenderSeptember 21, 2014

Flying home from Scandinavia in late August, a little uncomfortable in the cramped airline seat, I was remembering stretching my legs on a trip I’d made to Norway years before. That time, I accompanied my daughter to a linguistics conference. She was still nursing her second baby, and she wanted to take him with her … Continue reading →

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Posted in Sheila Bender On Writing, WIR2014 | Tagged overcoming writer's block, reading for writing, trust your writing, writing memoir

All Done Not Writing

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on September 10, 2014 by Sheila BenderSeptember 10, 2014

This week’s article is a reprint of one that first appeared in 2003. Time flies; when we look back, the lessons we have learned seem to shine brighter. My grandson Toby turned 17 months old this October 1.  He has been talking for months and he loves words.  “All done Mommy phone,” he says when my … Continue reading →

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Posted in Sheila Bender On Writing, WIR2014

On Writing Personal Essays: Rest Assured, It’s More Than “Only” the Personal

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on September 3, 2014 by Sheila BenderSeptember 3, 2014

As personal essayists, we sometimes worry whether people will be interested in what we have to say since our material is “just” personal experience. That worry exists alongside its cousins “Who am I to write about this or to tell my family’s secrets?” and “What if my experience rubs people the wrong way and is judged harshly by others, especially people … Continue reading →

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Posted in Sheila Bender On Writing, WIR2014 | Tagged personal essay, trust your writing

You Could Be Writing, Not Waiting to Write: Four Very Portable Short Forms

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on August 21, 2014 by Sheila BenderAugust 21, 2014

Before appointments, when a meeting hasn’t started, when a bus hasn’t come, when a friend is late, when you have finished something and still have time before the next thing in your day, when you arrive early to work — do you write or reflexively check your email or text a friend or leaf through … Continue reading →

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Posted in Instructional Exercises, WIR2014 | Tagged Trusting Images, writing advice, Writing Poetry

It Wraps Back on Itself: Writing the Roundel

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on August 13, 2014 by Sheila BenderAugust 13, 2014

This, my second week in Denmark visiting my daughter and her family, I continued with my idea of writing more poetry in form. I flipped through the book my younger grandson, who had used it in third grade, had given me, A Kick in the Head: An Everyday Guide to Poetic Forms, and stopped on … Continue reading →

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Posted in Instructional Exercises, WIR2014 | Tagged writing exercises, Writing Poetry

Writing Dispatch from Denmark: Northern Jutland Pantoum

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on August 5, 2014 by Sheila BenderAugust 6, 2014

I am in Denmark for the month of August visiting my daughter and her family. She and her husband are here working, and the international school my grandsons attended is out for the summer. My job is being nanny, but it’s more like company, for the boys. An enthusiastic traveler, Emily makes sure weekends are full. On my first … Continue reading →

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Posted in Instructional Exercises, Sheila Bender On Writing, WIR2014 | Tagged Writing Craft Tools, Writing Poetry

An Ode to the Author of Blue Willow

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on July 23, 2014 by Sheila BenderJuly 23, 2014

I was reading a magazine article recently in which authors wrote about pivotal books they’ve read. What book would I name, I wondered. Immediately, I saw myself at my fourth grade desk in the 1950’s at Franklin Elementary School in Union Township, New Jersey. I am unwrapping a book I ordered from the Scholastic Book … Continue reading →

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Posted in Sheila Bender On Writing, WIR2014, Writing Makes a Difference | Tagged on writing, reading for writing, women's voices, writing inspiration

My Marital Status

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on July 17, 2014 by James KullanderJuly 17, 2014

After reading that I’d mentioned an interview he did with Marion Woodman in a Writing It Real article, James Kullander contacted me. After reading the whole article, he offered permission to share another essay originally published in the December 2007 issue of The Sun magazine. “My Marital Status” takes a moving look at love and commitment, at what … Continue reading →

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Posted in From Our Contributors, Literary Gallery, WIR2014 | Tagged personal essay

The Interview: A Way to Write More Complex Characters in Your Memoir

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on July 6, 2014 by Andrea ClausenJuly 9, 2014

Often when I try to write about my mother the same details surface. In my childhood memories she is always busy either working or participating on different committees; when she is home she is tired and does not like to cook. Now that I am an adult, my mother and I talk on the telephone … Continue reading →

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Posted in From Our Contributors, Instructional Exercises, The Working Writer, WIR2014 | Tagged memoir, writing advice, Writing Craft Tools

Writing Prompts To Anchor Summer

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on July 2, 2014 by Sheila BenderJuly 2, 2014

Originally published in in the summer of 2005, this article is filled with writing exercises inspired by the summer holidays. I think they will come in handy again to help you keep on writing, even though summer is loaded with traditional holiday social demands and active outdoor recreation. Learning the history of holidays can provide writers with prompts that … Continue reading →

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Posted in Instructional Exercises, WIR2014 | Tagged writing exercises, writing inspiration

Submissions Wanted – Venues for Publishing

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on July 1, 2014 by Sheila BenderFebruary 5, 2017

Here’s an ongoing list of places seeking submissions. Check back frequently for more listings and please add in any venues of which you are aware. We all appreciate learning of opportunities for sending our work out for consideration.

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Posted in WIR2014

Interview with Memoirist Tarn Wilson, Part III: Writing About Others and The Journey to Publication

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on June 25, 2014 by Andrea ClausenJune 25, 2014

Last week we posted Part II of my interview with Tarn Wilson about her memoir The Slow Farm. We talked about different ways of bringing back memories and how to write from a child’s viewpoint as an adult. This week, she shares the way she approaches writing about family members consciously and compassionately way, provides … Continue reading →

To access this post, you must purchase Online Personal Essay Writing Workshop + Membership, Development and Line Editing + Membership, Yesim Cimcoz Where Story Begins + Membership, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor – How Editing Helps You Find Your Way + Membership 11:00AM, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor – How Editing Helps You Find Your Way + Membership 2:00PM, Poetry Writing Workshop + Membership, In-Class Writing and Responses – Your Writing Will Surprise You! + Membership 2:00PM, In-Class Writing and Responses – Your Writing Will Surprise You! + Membership 11:00 AM, Summer Reading Summer Writing Plus Membership, Write More Healthy Starts Plus Membership, You: Writing in the 2nd Person Online Workshop Plus Membership, Keep Goin’ On Your Writing over the Holidays Plus Membership, Writing for Young Readers Plus Membership, Introduction to Scrivener — Plus Membership, Writing Healthy Starts + Membership, Eight Half-Hour Consults + Membership, Befriending the Giant + Membership, Write! Write! Write! Writing Exercises for Writing Prose from Personal Experience + Membership, Phone Consult: 3750 Words or Six Poems + Membership, The 3 E’s: Epistolary, Ekphrastic and Epideictic + Membership, Four Half-Hour Consults + Membership or New! Using the Flash Series Technique to Write Memoir.

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Posted in From Our Contributors, WIR2014 | Tagged memoir, personal essay, Publishing, reading for writing, writing advice, writing memoir

Interview With Memoirist Tarn Wilson, Part II: The Art of Remembering

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on June 18, 2014 by Andrea ClausenJune 18, 2014

Last week we posted the first part of my interview with Tarn Wilson about her memoir The Slow Farm. Tarn and I talked about how she used artifacts to reconstruct the past and how she structured her book. This week Tarn and I discuss the art of remembering. Tarn tells us about how she finds … Continue reading →

To access this post, you must purchase Online Personal Essay Writing Workshop + Membership, Development and Line Editing + Membership, Yesim Cimcoz Where Story Begins + Membership, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor – How Editing Helps You Find Your Way + Membership 11:00AM, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor – How Editing Helps You Find Your Way + Membership 2:00PM, Poetry Writing Workshop + Membership, In-Class Writing and Responses – Your Writing Will Surprise You! + Membership 2:00PM, In-Class Writing and Responses – Your Writing Will Surprise You! + Membership 11:00 AM, Summer Reading Summer Writing Plus Membership, Write More Healthy Starts Plus Membership, You: Writing in the 2nd Person Online Workshop Plus Membership, Keep Goin’ On Your Writing over the Holidays Plus Membership, Writing for Young Readers Plus Membership, Introduction to Scrivener — Plus Membership, Writing Healthy Starts + Membership, Eight Half-Hour Consults + Membership, Befriending the Giant + Membership, Write! Write! Write! Writing Exercises for Writing Prose from Personal Experience + Membership, Phone Consult: 3750 Words or Six Poems + Membership, The 3 E’s: Epistolary, Ekphrastic and Epideictic + Membership, Four Half-Hour Consults + Membership or New! Using the Flash Series Technique to Write Memoir.

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Posted in From Our Contributors, The Working Writer, WIR2014 | Tagged memoir, writing advice, writing memoir

Interview with Memoirist Tarn Wilson, Part I: Reconstructing the Past

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on June 11, 2014 by Andrea ClausenJune 11, 2014

I am a person who saves things, from the obviously important letter my father wrote me right before he passed away to the “might need it someday” notes from middle school. I have shoeboxes of unorganized photographs, rocks and shells from past trips sit on my bookshelves, and, rolled in a back closet corner, sit … Continue reading →

To access this post, you must purchase Online Personal Essay Writing Workshop + Membership, Development and Line Editing + Membership, Yesim Cimcoz Where Story Begins + Membership, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor – How Editing Helps You Find Your Way + Membership 11:00AM, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor – How Editing Helps You Find Your Way + Membership 2:00PM, Poetry Writing Workshop + Membership, In-Class Writing and Responses – Your Writing Will Surprise You! + Membership 2:00PM, In-Class Writing and Responses – Your Writing Will Surprise You! + Membership 11:00 AM, Summer Reading Summer Writing Plus Membership, Write More Healthy Starts Plus Membership, You: Writing in the 2nd Person Online Workshop Plus Membership, Keep Goin’ On Your Writing over the Holidays Plus Membership, Writing for Young Readers Plus Membership, Introduction to Scrivener — Plus Membership, Writing Healthy Starts + Membership, Eight Half-Hour Consults + Membership, Befriending the Giant + Membership, Write! Write! Write! Writing Exercises for Writing Prose from Personal Experience + Membership, Phone Consult: 3750 Words or Six Poems + Membership, The 3 E’s: Epistolary, Ekphrastic and Epideictic + Membership, Four Half-Hour Consults + Membership or New! Using the Flash Series Technique to Write Memoir.

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Posted in From Our Contributors, The Working Writer, WIR2014 | Tagged memoir, Publishing, women's voices, writing career, writing life, writing memoir

Interview with Bonnie Rough on Her Book Carrier: Untangling the Danger in My DNA

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on June 4, 2014 by Andrea ClausenJune 4, 2014

Bonnie Rough’s memoir, Carrier, which won the 2011 Minnesota Book Award, includes extensive research via family stories, interviews, pictures, legal records, letters, and more, but it is her compassionate portrayal of her grandfather, Earl, who passed away soon after her birth, that keeps readers turning pages. He lived with hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia (HED), a genetic … Continue reading →

To access this post, you must purchase Online Personal Essay Writing Workshop + Membership, Development and Line Editing + Membership, Yesim Cimcoz Where Story Begins + Membership, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor – How Editing Helps You Find Your Way + Membership 11:00AM, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor – How Editing Helps You Find Your Way + Membership 2:00PM, Poetry Writing Workshop + Membership, In-Class Writing and Responses – Your Writing Will Surprise You! + Membership 2:00PM, In-Class Writing and Responses – Your Writing Will Surprise You! + Membership 11:00 AM, Summer Reading Summer Writing Plus Membership, Write More Healthy Starts Plus Membership, You: Writing in the 2nd Person Online Workshop Plus Membership, Keep Goin’ On Your Writing over the Holidays Plus Membership, Writing for Young Readers Plus Membership, Introduction to Scrivener — Plus Membership, Writing Healthy Starts + Membership, Eight Half-Hour Consults + Membership, Befriending the Giant + Membership, Write! Write! Write! Writing Exercises for Writing Prose from Personal Experience + Membership, Phone Consult: 3750 Words or Six Poems + Membership, The 3 E’s: Epistolary, Ekphrastic and Epideictic + Membership, Four Half-Hour Consults + Membership or New! Using the Flash Series Technique to Write Memoir.

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Posted in From Our Contributors, The Working Writer, WIR2014 | Tagged family, illness, memoir, researching, women's voices

Writing Your Way in the Back Door: The Painting as Entry

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on May 28, 2014 by Christine HempMay 28, 2014

Christine Hemp offers us her thinking about how we may find our prose and poetry’s true subjects followed by a writing exercise for practice and two sample poems. [This article and exercise were originally published in Now Write! Nonfiction: Memoir, Journalism and Creative Nonfiction Exercises from Today’s Best Writers and Teachers, from Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin, edited by Sherry … Continue reading →

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Posted in From Our Contributors, Instructional Exercises, Literary Gallery, WIR2014 | Tagged Trusting Images, writing advice, writing exercises, Writing Poetry

Interview with Memoirist Sue William Silverman

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on May 21, 2014 by Sue William SilvermanMay 23, 2014

I am pleased to publish this interview with award winning memoirist Sue William Silverman about the writing of her newest memoir and her advice to those of us who write from personal experience. The Pat Boone Fan Club: My Life as a White Anglo-Saxon Jew, follows two earlier memoirs, Because I Remember Terror, Father, I … Continue reading →

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Posted in From Our Contributors, The Working Writer, WIR2014 | Tagged memoir, Publishing, trust your writing, Trusting Images, women's voices, writing advice, writing memoir

Digesting World News

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on May 14, 2014 by Sheila BenderMay 14, 2014

This essay originally appeared in Writing It Real August 2006. The question I was exploring is still one many of us ask when we consider the world’s situation: Where is our writing in all this? How should it matter? Every time I open my computer, I look at the upper right-hand corner of the screen to … Continue reading →

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Posted in Sheila Bender On Writing, WIR2014, Writing Makes a Difference | Tagged trust your writing, writing advice, writing inspiration

Need to Breathe New Life into the Journal Keeping Habit? Hire the Journal Keeper Within

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on May 7, 2014 by Sheila BenderMay 7, 2014

It’s spring — we’ll be getting busy with outdoor chores, vacations and other summer activities before long. Less time for writing, you might be thinking. But an effective way to keep up your writing is to commit to keeping a writer’s journal where you can explore language, memories, writing ideas and more. But when in … Continue reading →

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Posted in The Working Writer, WIR2014 | Tagged on writing, overcoming writer's block, writing advice

How To Retailer A Promenade Gown

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on May 3, 2014 by Abigail ThomasMay 11, 2015

How To Retailer A Promenade Gown Wedding Day is a really special occasion, especially for the Bride as at the present time symbolizes the start of her new journey. Then you have the modest prom gown in Tony Bowls promenade attire too which is easy and beautiful but on the same time very modest; it … Continue reading →

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Posted in WIR2014

Celebrating and Learning from Poets — Final Four!

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on April 29, 2014 by Sheila BenderMay 1, 2014

As April and National Poetry Month come to an end, we finish our series of poets on their poems. Stan Rubin, Michael Spence, Nicole Persun and Nancy Levinson have each offered us a poem along with their thoughts about writing it. I follow their work with writing prompts based on their contributions. Stan Sanvel Rubin … Continue reading →

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Posted in From Our Contributors, Instructional Exercises, Reading for Writing, WIR2014

Human Hair Wigs Versus Artificial Hair Wigs

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on April 27, 2014 by Abigail ThomasMay 23, 2015

Human Hair Wigs Versus Artificial Hair Wigs Finding the right hairpieces or wigs can be a attempting and troublesome expertise for a lot of black ladies. If you are planning to get one for yourself, you have to determine first the explanations behind it, whether is it for each day use or is it only … Continue reading →

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Posted in WIR2014

Celebrating and Learning from Poets — Another Batch of Three

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on April 23, 2014 by Sheila BenderApril 29, 2014

This week I am posting poems by three more poets whose work I have been following. Each has offered words about the creation of the particular poem included. And, as before, you’ll find writing ideas from me based on each of the poems. Let these poems live inside of you for a bit after reading … Continue reading →

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Posted in From Our Contributors, Instructional Exercises, Reading for Writing, WIR2014 | Tagged reading for writing, writing advice, Writing Poetry

Celebrating and Learning from Three More Wonderful Poets

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on April 16, 2014 by Sheila BenderApril 16, 2014

We present three poets, offering one of their poems along with words about its creation. My writing ideas are each based on one of the poems and are useful whether you are writing poetry or prose.

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Posted in From Our Contributors, Instructional Exercises, Reading for Writing, WIR2014 | Tagged trust your images, writing inspiration, Writing Poetry

Distinctive Prom Costume

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on April 16, 2014 by Abigail ThomasMay 2, 2015

Distinctive Prom Costume Evenings at sea are all the time an occasion to look ahead to. The gown code transforms the environment on board so that every evening is completely different. Formal wears will suit for the every day use and also for the office work but when it comes for cocktail events then we … Continue reading →

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Posted in WIR2014

Stylish Promenade Clothes

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on April 16, 2014 by Abigail ThomasApril 27, 2015

How To Select Strapless Prom Dress And Accessories Ladies are very particular how they look each time they go out or go to somebody. It is time for you to start shopping on your Newest put on not expensive clothes for the marriage, however earlier than that beneath here”s a list of things that need … Continue reading →

To access this post, you must purchase Online Personal Essay Writing Workshop + Membership, Development and Line Editing + Membership, Yesim Cimcoz Where Story Begins + Membership, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor – How Editing Helps You Find Your Way + Membership 11:00AM, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor – How Editing Helps You Find Your Way + Membership 2:00PM, Poetry Writing Workshop + Membership, In-Class Writing and Responses – Your Writing Will Surprise You! + Membership 2:00PM, In-Class Writing and Responses – Your Writing Will Surprise You! + Membership 11:00 AM, Summer Reading Summer Writing Plus Membership, Write More Healthy Starts Plus Membership, You: Writing in the 2nd Person Online Workshop Plus Membership, Keep Goin’ On Your Writing over the Holidays Plus Membership, Writing for Young Readers Plus Membership, Introduction to Scrivener — Plus Membership, Writing Healthy Starts + Membership, Eight Half-Hour Consults + Membership, Befriending the Giant + Membership, Write! Write! Write! Writing Exercises for Writing Prose from Personal Experience + Membership, Phone Consult: 3750 Words or Six Poems + Membership, The 3 E’s: Epistolary, Ekphrastic and Epideictic + Membership, Four Half-Hour Consults + Membership or New! Using the Flash Series Technique to Write Memoir.

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Posted in WIR2014

Celebrating and Learning from Three Wonderful Poets

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on April 9, 2014 by Sheila BenderApril 9, 2014

It’s National Poetry Month and I am celebrating poets I know whose work I have been following both in their books and by attending readings in my town and surrounding areas. Each of the next weeks, I will publish a poem by each of three of these poets along with their own words about their … Continue reading →

To access this post, you must purchase Online Personal Essay Writing Workshop + Membership, Development and Line Editing + Membership, Yesim Cimcoz Where Story Begins + Membership, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor – How Editing Helps You Find Your Way + Membership 11:00AM, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor – How Editing Helps You Find Your Way + Membership 2:00PM, Poetry Writing Workshop + Membership, In-Class Writing and Responses – Your Writing Will Surprise You! + Membership 2:00PM, In-Class Writing and Responses – Your Writing Will Surprise You! + Membership 11:00 AM, Summer Reading Summer Writing Plus Membership, Write More Healthy Starts Plus Membership, You: Writing in the 2nd Person Online Workshop Plus Membership, Keep Goin’ On Your Writing over the Holidays Plus Membership, Writing for Young Readers Plus Membership, Introduction to Scrivener — Plus Membership, Writing Healthy Starts + Membership, Eight Half-Hour Consults + Membership, Befriending the Giant + Membership, Write! Write! Write! Writing Exercises for Writing Prose from Personal Experience + Membership, Phone Consult: 3750 Words or Six Poems + Membership, The 3 E’s: Epistolary, Ekphrastic and Epideictic + Membership, Four Half-Hour Consults + Membership or New! Using the Flash Series Technique to Write Memoir.

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Posted in From Our Contributors, Instructional Exercises, Literary Gallery, Reading for Writing, WIR2014

Celebrate National Poetry Month by Writing Poems! Yes, Even If You Think You Can’t!

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on April 2, 2014 by Sheila BenderApril 3, 2014

National Poetry Month started yesterday. This week’s article is an oldie but goodie, originally published in 2007 and updated for 2014. In Port Townsend, the daffodils have been up several weeks. As usual out here, it looks like we’ll get rain this next week and certainly lots during the month of April, but I remind … Continue reading →

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Posted in Instructional Exercises, The Working Writer, WIR2014 | Tagged writing advice, writing exercises, Writing Poetry

Are You Worrying About What’s Happened to Your Creativity?

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on March 26, 2014 by Sheila BenderMarch 26, 2014

Our creativity is an eternal light. It burns even when we are not paying attention to it. It doesn’t need relighting so much as finding where it lights our path.

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Posted in Instructional Exercises, Sheila Bender On Writing, WIR2014 | Tagged creativity, writing exercises

On the Courage to Create

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on March 19, 2014 by Sheila BenderMarch 26, 2014

Creativity in one’s thinking and in one’s art is unsettling, both to the artist and to audiences. The courage to create must be born again and again.

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Posted in Sheila Bender On Writing, WIR2014 | Tagged on writing, writing inspiration, writing life

Where Does Creativity Start?

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on March 12, 2014 by Sheila BenderApril 24, 2014

You may think that being creative requires that you have an idea for a finished product. But an important attribute of creativity is that it produces what it will, not necessarily what you were thinking it ought to. You may think creativity requires completing laborious hours of work. But many people experience creativity seeming to … Continue reading →

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Posted in Instructional Exercises, Sheila Bender On Writing, The Working Writer, WIR2014 | Tagged overcoming writer's block, Trusting Images, writing advice, writing inspiration

The Strangest of Theatres: A Poet Writes Across Borders

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on March 5, 2014 by Susan RichMarch 18, 2014

Three accomplished writers have as editors acquired a collection of essays in The Strangest of Theatres: Poets Writing Across Borders in which poets explore the way their journeys to foreign lands helped them add to literature’s great conversation. Susan Rich, one editor of the three, whose newest poetry collection Cloud Pharmacy is just out from … Continue reading →

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Posted in From Our Contributors, WIR2014, Writers Building a Community of Readers, Writing Makes a Difference | Tagged personal essay, reading for writing, Writing Poetry

Poet Beth Spencer’s Words Regarding Writing “The Shipwreck Coast”

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on February 26, 2014 by Beth SpencerMarch 2, 2014

Last week, we posted Australian Writing It Real member Beth Spencer’s winning narrative poem “The Shipwreck Coast.” This week we are posting an essay she has written for Writing It Real members about what spurred her on in writing this personal poem and what writing it helped her re-learn as a writer. As you read, … Continue reading →

To access this post, you must purchase Online Personal Essay Writing Workshop + Membership, Development and Line Editing + Membership, Yesim Cimcoz Where Story Begins + Membership, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor – How Editing Helps You Find Your Way + Membership 11:00AM, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor – How Editing Helps You Find Your Way + Membership 2:00PM, Poetry Writing Workshop + Membership, In-Class Writing and Responses – Your Writing Will Surprise You! + Membership 2:00PM, In-Class Writing and Responses – Your Writing Will Surprise You! + Membership 11:00 AM, Summer Reading Summer Writing Plus Membership, Write More Healthy Starts Plus Membership, You: Writing in the 2nd Person Online Workshop Plus Membership, Keep Goin’ On Your Writing over the Holidays Plus Membership, Writing for Young Readers Plus Membership, Introduction to Scrivener — Plus Membership, Writing Healthy Starts + Membership, Eight Half-Hour Consults + Membership, Befriending the Giant + Membership, Write! Write! Write! Writing Exercises for Writing Prose from Personal Experience + Membership, Phone Consult: 3750 Words or Six Poems + Membership, The 3 E’s: Epistolary, Ekphrastic and Epideictic + Membership, Four Half-Hour Consults + Membership or New! Using the Flash Series Technique to Write Memoir.

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Posted in WIR2014

Beth Spencer’s Third Place Winning Poem “The Shipwreck Coast”

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on February 20, 2014 by Beth SpencerFebruary 20, 2014

In choosing Beth Spencer’s poem, “The Shipwreck Coast,” as the fall/winter Writing It Real contest third place winner, guest judge Molly Tinsley wrote: “Yes, poetry is memoir–at least in the case of this intriguing narrative poem. I loved the resolutely unpoetic, sardonic voice.  Again, the emotional control over deeply painful material impressed me. We have all … Continue reading →

To access this post, you must purchase Online Personal Essay Writing Workshop + Membership, Development and Line Editing + Membership, Yesim Cimcoz Where Story Begins + Membership, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor – How Editing Helps You Find Your Way + Membership 11:00AM, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor – How Editing Helps You Find Your Way + Membership 2:00PM, Poetry Writing Workshop + Membership, In-Class Writing and Responses – Your Writing Will Surprise You! + Membership 2:00PM, In-Class Writing and Responses – Your Writing Will Surprise You! + Membership 11:00 AM, Summer Reading Summer Writing Plus Membership, Write More Healthy Starts Plus Membership, You: Writing in the 2nd Person Online Workshop Plus Membership, Keep Goin’ On Your Writing over the Holidays Plus Membership, Writing for Young Readers Plus Membership, Introduction to Scrivener — Plus Membership, Writing Healthy Starts + Membership, Eight Half-Hour Consults + Membership, Befriending the Giant + Membership, Write! Write! Write! Writing Exercises for Writing Prose from Personal Experience + Membership, Phone Consult: 3750 Words or Six Poems + Membership, The 3 E’s: Epistolary, Ekphrastic and Epideictic + Membership, Four Half-Hour Consults + Membership or New! Using the Flash Series Technique to Write Memoir.

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Posted in WIR2013 | Tagged contest winner, memoir, Writing Poetry

Michael Shurgot’s 2nd Place Winning Essay “The First Time I Should Have Died”

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on February 12, 2014 by Michael W. ShurgotFebruary 12, 2014

Our guest judge Molly Tinsley’s notes about choosing Michael Shurgot’s essay for our second-place winner are these: “Great propulsion. The building of tension, the sense of time running out, the hints of questions left unanswered — all are the strategies of an accomplished story-teller. The detachment of the retrospective voice hooked me in further, the … Continue reading →

To access this post, you must purchase Online Personal Essay Writing Workshop + Membership, Development and Line Editing + Membership, Yesim Cimcoz Where Story Begins + Membership, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor – How Editing Helps You Find Your Way + Membership 11:00AM, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor – How Editing Helps You Find Your Way + Membership 2:00PM, Poetry Writing Workshop + Membership, In-Class Writing and Responses – Your Writing Will Surprise You! + Membership 2:00PM, In-Class Writing and Responses – Your Writing Will Surprise You! + Membership 11:00 AM, Summer Reading Summer Writing Plus Membership, Write More Healthy Starts Plus Membership, You: Writing in the 2nd Person Online Workshop Plus Membership, Keep Goin’ On Your Writing over the Holidays Plus Membership, Writing for Young Readers Plus Membership, Introduction to Scrivener — Plus Membership, Writing Healthy Starts + Membership, Eight Half-Hour Consults + Membership, Befriending the Giant + Membership, Write! Write! Write! Writing Exercises for Writing Prose from Personal Experience + Membership, Phone Consult: 3750 Words or Six Poems + Membership, The 3 E’s: Epistolary, Ekphrastic and Epideictic + Membership, Four Half-Hour Consults + Membership or New! Using the Flash Series Technique to Write Memoir.

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Posted in Literary Gallery, WIR2013 | Tagged contest winner, contest winning essay, personal essay

First Place Winning Essay – “Why I Write” by Mary Kurtz

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on February 5, 2014 by Mary KurtzFebruary 6, 2014

Our fall/winter writing contest judge, Molly Tinsley, chose “Why I Write,” a personal essay by Mary Kurtz, as our first-place winner. Molly said in her notes about this essay: “Emotional control of the narrative makes Mary’s experience all the more riveting and poignant. I was swept up by the vivid flow of habitual action interrupted … Continue reading →

To access this post, you must purchase Online Personal Essay Writing Workshop + Membership, Development and Line Editing + Membership, Yesim Cimcoz Where Story Begins + Membership, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor – How Editing Helps You Find Your Way + Membership 11:00AM, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor – How Editing Helps You Find Your Way + Membership 2:00PM, Poetry Writing Workshop + Membership, In-Class Writing and Responses – Your Writing Will Surprise You! + Membership 2:00PM, In-Class Writing and Responses – Your Writing Will Surprise You! + Membership 11:00 AM, Summer Reading Summer Writing Plus Membership, Write More Healthy Starts Plus Membership, You: Writing in the 2nd Person Online Workshop Plus Membership, Keep Goin’ On Your Writing over the Holidays Plus Membership, Writing for Young Readers Plus Membership, Introduction to Scrivener — Plus Membership, Writing Healthy Starts + Membership, Eight Half-Hour Consults + Membership, Befriending the Giant + Membership, Write! Write! Write! Writing Exercises for Writing Prose from Personal Experience + Membership, Phone Consult: 3750 Words or Six Poems + Membership, The 3 E’s: Epistolary, Ekphrastic and Epideictic + Membership, Four Half-Hour Consults + Membership or New! Using the Flash Series Technique to Write Memoir.

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Posted in From Our Contributors, Literary Gallery, WIR2013 | Tagged contest winner, contest winning essay, memoir, personal essay, women's voices

On Writing From Life

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on January 29, 2014 by Molly B. TinsleyJanuary 29, 2014

Our writing contest guest judge, Molly Tinsley, is now reading and making her selections of three contest winners in the recent Writing It Real contest. While we are waiting for the results, we are reprinting her article about writing memoir. It appeared orignally in the November 2013 issue of Author magazine.  Molly’s words on writing from … Continue reading →

To access this post, you must purchase Online Personal Essay Writing Workshop + Membership, Development and Line Editing + Membership, Yesim Cimcoz Where Story Begins + Membership, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor – How Editing Helps You Find Your Way + Membership 11:00AM, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor – How Editing Helps You Find Your Way + Membership 2:00PM, Poetry Writing Workshop + Membership, In-Class Writing and Responses – Your Writing Will Surprise You! + Membership 2:00PM, In-Class Writing and Responses – Your Writing Will Surprise You! + Membership 11:00 AM, Summer Reading Summer Writing Plus Membership, Write More Healthy Starts Plus Membership, You: Writing in the 2nd Person Online Workshop Plus Membership, Keep Goin’ On Your Writing over the Holidays Plus Membership, Writing for Young Readers Plus Membership, Introduction to Scrivener — Plus Membership, Writing Healthy Starts + Membership, Eight Half-Hour Consults + Membership, Befriending the Giant + Membership, Write! Write! Write! Writing Exercises for Writing Prose from Personal Experience + Membership, Phone Consult: 3750 Words or Six Poems + Membership, The 3 E’s: Epistolary, Ekphrastic and Epideictic + Membership, Four Half-Hour Consults + Membership or New! Using the Flash Series Technique to Write Memoir.

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Posted in From Our Contributors, The Working Writer, WIR2013 | Tagged memoir, writing advice, writing memoir

Male Hair Loss

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on January 29, 2014 by Abigail ThomasMay 13, 2015

Male Hair Loss Wigs and different hairpieces have been used for hundreds of years to realize the look that men and women most need. Financial synthetic lace entrance wigs, human hair lace wigs, it nonetheless is certainly not so putting or exceptional, promoting has become commonplace on. Lace Entrance Wigs Tips on how to join: … Continue reading →

To access this post, you must purchase Online Personal Essay Writing Workshop + Membership, Development and Line Editing + Membership, Yesim Cimcoz Where Story Begins + Membership, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor – How Editing Helps You Find Your Way + Membership 11:00AM, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor – How Editing Helps You Find Your Way + Membership 2:00PM, Poetry Writing Workshop + Membership, In-Class Writing and Responses – Your Writing Will Surprise You! + Membership 2:00PM, In-Class Writing and Responses – Your Writing Will Surprise You! + Membership 11:00 AM, Summer Reading Summer Writing Plus Membership, Write More Healthy Starts Plus Membership, You: Writing in the 2nd Person Online Workshop Plus Membership, Keep Goin’ On Your Writing over the Holidays Plus Membership, Writing for Young Readers Plus Membership, Introduction to Scrivener — Plus Membership, Writing Healthy Starts + Membership, Eight Half-Hour Consults + Membership, Befriending the Giant + Membership, Write! Write! Write! Writing Exercises for Writing Prose from Personal Experience + Membership, Phone Consult: 3750 Words or Six Poems + Membership, The 3 E’s: Epistolary, Ekphrastic and Epideictic + Membership, Four Half-Hour Consults + Membership or New! Using the Flash Series Technique to Write Memoir.

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Posted in WIR2014

What I Was Thinking

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on January 22, 2014 by Sheila BenderJanuary 22, 2014

This article first ran January 24, 2008, after a visit from my grandsons. Their visit over this past Martin Luther King three-day weekend had me thinking again about the way watching children’s reactions to our adult judgments and commands can help us become kinder to our writing and our writing selves, so we can better … Continue reading →

To access this post, you must purchase Online Personal Essay Writing Workshop + Membership, Development and Line Editing + Membership, Yesim Cimcoz Where Story Begins + Membership, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor – How Editing Helps You Find Your Way + Membership 11:00AM, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor – How Editing Helps You Find Your Way + Membership 2:00PM, Poetry Writing Workshop + Membership, In-Class Writing and Responses – Your Writing Will Surprise You! + Membership 2:00PM, In-Class Writing and Responses – Your Writing Will Surprise You! + Membership 11:00 AM, Summer Reading Summer Writing Plus Membership, Write More Healthy Starts Plus Membership, You: Writing in the 2nd Person Online Workshop Plus Membership, Keep Goin’ On Your Writing over the Holidays Plus Membership, Writing for Young Readers Plus Membership, Introduction to Scrivener — Plus Membership, Writing Healthy Starts + Membership, Eight Half-Hour Consults + Membership, Befriending the Giant + Membership, Write! Write! Write! Writing Exercises for Writing Prose from Personal Experience + Membership, Phone Consult: 3750 Words or Six Poems + Membership, The 3 E’s: Epistolary, Ekphrastic and Epideictic + Membership, Four Half-Hour Consults + Membership or New! Using the Flash Series Technique to Write Memoir.

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Posted in Sheila Bender On Writing, WIR2013 | Tagged memoir, on writing, overcoming writer's block, personal essay, writing inspiration

People Who Write — Sandra Hurtes’ Story of Blog to Book

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on January 15, 2014 by Sandra HurtesSeptember 27, 2022

Sandra Hurtes created a blog, felt she had a book there, and engaged in the process of selecting and shaping the entries and adding to the material to create a book-length account of herself as writer.  The result is the very recently published The Ambivalent Memoirist: Obesessions, Digressions, Epiphanies, which has already garnered praise and … Continue reading →

To access this post, you must purchase Online Personal Essay Writing Workshop + Membership, Development and Line Editing + Membership, Yesim Cimcoz Where Story Begins + Membership, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor – How Editing Helps You Find Your Way + Membership 11:00AM, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor – How Editing Helps You Find Your Way + Membership 2:00PM, Poetry Writing Workshop + Membership, In-Class Writing and Responses – Your Writing Will Surprise You! + Membership 2:00PM, In-Class Writing and Responses – Your Writing Will Surprise You! + Membership 11:00 AM, Summer Reading Summer Writing Plus Membership, Write More Healthy Starts Plus Membership, You: Writing in the 2nd Person Online Workshop Plus Membership, Keep Goin’ On Your Writing over the Holidays Plus Membership, Writing for Young Readers Plus Membership, Introduction to Scrivener — Plus Membership, Writing Healthy Starts + Membership, Eight Half-Hour Consults + Membership, Befriending the Giant + Membership, Write! Write! Write! Writing Exercises for Writing Prose from Personal Experience + Membership, Phone Consult: 3750 Words or Six Poems + Membership, The 3 E’s: Epistolary, Ekphrastic and Epideictic + Membership, Four Half-Hour Consults + Membership or New! Using the Flash Series Technique to Write Memoir.

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Posted in From Our Contributors, Reading for Writing, WIR2013 | Tagged personal essay, Publishing, trust your writing, writing life, writing memoir

On Meeting the Lost Boys of Sudan, Personal Writing at the Intersection of History

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on January 8, 2014 by Betty ShaferJanuary 10, 2014

Writing It Real member Betty Shafer met five of the Lost Boys of the Sudan during a time that she was mourning personal losses and considering a major life change. Entwining their story of tragedy and survival during an historic upheaval with reflections on events in her own life, Betty arrives at clarity, strength, and … Continue reading →

To access this post, you must purchase Online Personal Essay Writing Workshop + Membership, Development and Line Editing + Membership, Yesim Cimcoz Where Story Begins + Membership, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor – How Editing Helps You Find Your Way + Membership 11:00AM, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor – How Editing Helps You Find Your Way + Membership 2:00PM, Poetry Writing Workshop + Membership, In-Class Writing and Responses – Your Writing Will Surprise You! + Membership 2:00PM, In-Class Writing and Responses – Your Writing Will Surprise You! + Membership 11:00 AM, Summer Reading Summer Writing Plus Membership, Write More Healthy Starts Plus Membership, You: Writing in the 2nd Person Online Workshop Plus Membership, Keep Goin’ On Your Writing over the Holidays Plus Membership, Writing for Young Readers Plus Membership, Introduction to Scrivener — Plus Membership, Writing Healthy Starts + Membership, Eight Half-Hour Consults + Membership, Befriending the Giant + Membership, Write! Write! Write! Writing Exercises for Writing Prose from Personal Experience + Membership, Phone Consult: 3750 Words or Six Poems + Membership, The 3 E’s: Epistolary, Ekphrastic and Epideictic + Membership, Four Half-Hour Consults + Membership or New! Using the Flash Series Technique to Write Memoir.

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Posted in Literary Gallery, Reading for Writing, WIR2013, WIR2014, Writing Makes a Difference | Tagged personal essay

Where Have You Published Lately?

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on January 1, 2014 by Sheila BenderFebruary 5, 2017

Go on! Brag a little or a lot. Include your blog url, literary journals, anthologies, books, plays produced–wherever we can find your writing. By learning where one another publishes as well as reading your work, we learn. Let us help you build an audience! 

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To access this post, you must purchase Online Personal Essay Writing Workshop + Membership, Development and Line Editing + Membership, Yesim Cimcoz Where Story Begins + Membership, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor – How Editing Helps You Find Your Way + Membership 11:00AM, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor – How Editing Helps You Find Your Way + Membership 2:00PM, Poetry Writing Workshop + Membership, In-Class Writing and Responses – Your Writing Will Surprise You! + Membership 2:00PM, In-Class Writing and Responses – Your Writing Will Surprise You! + Membership 11:00 AM, Summer Reading Summer Writing Plus Membership, Write More Healthy Starts Plus Membership, You: Writing in the 2nd Person Online Workshop Plus Membership, Keep Goin’ On Your Writing over the Holidays Plus Membership, Writing for Young Readers Plus Membership, Introduction to Scrivener — Plus Membership, Writing Healthy Starts + Membership, Eight Half-Hour Consults + Membership, Befriending the Giant + Membership, Write! Write! Write! Writing Exercises for Writing Prose from Personal Experience + Membership, Phone Consult: 3750 Words or Six Poems + Membership, The 3 E’s: Epistolary, Ekphrastic and Epideictic + Membership, Four Half-Hour Consults + Membership or New! Using the Flash Series Technique to Write Memoir.

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Posted in Community Discussion, WIR2014

Member-to-Member

Sheila Bender's Writing It Real Posted on January 1, 2014 by Sheila BenderFebruary 5, 2017

Do you have a writing question your peers can answer? Do you have answers your peers might find useful? Books you are reading to tell us about, references and activities for writers? Interact here!

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To access this post, you must purchase Online Personal Essay Writing Workshop + Membership, Development and Line Editing + Membership, Yesim Cimcoz Where Story Begins + Membership, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor – How Editing Helps You Find Your Way + Membership 11:00AM, Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor – How Editing Helps You Find Your Way + Membership 2:00PM, Poetry Writing Workshop + Membership, In-Class Writing and Responses – Your Writing Will Surprise You! + Membership 2:00PM, In-Class Writing and Responses – Your Writing Will Surprise You! + Membership 11:00 AM, Summer Reading Summer Writing Plus Membership, Write More Healthy Starts Plus Membership, You: Writing in the 2nd Person Online Workshop Plus Membership, Keep Goin’ On Your Writing over the Holidays Plus Membership, Writing for Young Readers Plus Membership, Introduction to Scrivener — Plus Membership, Writing Healthy Starts + Membership, Eight Half-Hour Consults + Membership, Befriending the Giant + Membership, Write! Write! Write! Writing Exercises for Writing Prose from Personal Experience + Membership, Phone Consult: 3750 Words or Six Poems + Membership, The 3 E’s: Epistolary, Ekphrastic and Epideictic + Membership, Four Half-Hour Consults + Membership or New! Using the Flash Series Technique to Write Memoir.

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Posted in Community Discussion, WIR2014

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