Category Archives: Howling at the moon

by Jilanne Hoffmann | April 24, 2013 · 10:24 am

Shakespeare – Sonnet for Writers

Sonnet LXXVII

“Thy glass will show thee how thy beauties wear,

Thy dial how thy precious minutes waste;

The vacant leaves thy mind’s imprint will bear,

And of this book this learning may thou taste.

The wrinkles which thy glass will truly show,

Of mouthed graves will give thee memory;

Thou by thy dial’s shady stealth mayst know

Time’s thievish progress to eternity.

Look, what thy memory cannot contain,

Commit to these waste blanks, and thou shalt find

Those children nurs’d, deliver’d from thy brain,

To take a new acquaintance of thy mind.

These offices, so oft as thou wilt look,

Shall profit thee, and much enrich thy book.”

—Shakespeare

Those “in the know” believe this sonnet was inscribed in a book with blank leaves.

Put it at the top of your own blank page for inspiration.

Happy day after the great Shakes Day!!

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Tagged as inspiration, Shakespeare, sonnet, The Globe, writer's block, writing

by Laurel Leigh | April 4, 2013 · 12:48 pm

Hot Gravatars

Hello from the Dogpatch!

I am in love with Gravatars. I love seeing how everyone has designed their gravatar—one a smiling face of a hardworking blogger, one a favorite pic that holds meaning, another a classy and colorful branding for a themed blog.

Not that I’m the first to notice, but there’s something really cool about the way they make unique art when lined up in a sidebar. I love seeing the different colors and images randomly lined up and noticing when a blogger with whom I’m familiar has changed up his or her gravatar. Continue reading →

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by Jilanne Hoffmann | March 22, 2013 · 2:24 pm

True Words from Chinua Achebe

“…mediocrity destroys the very fabric of a country as surely as a war — ushering in all sorts of banality, ineptitude, corruption and debauchery,” wrote Achebe…

This observation rings true for all societies, not just Nigeria. It’s one that all writers, all artists, all workers should take to heart. Be wary of “good enough.” Be wary of those who disparage learning. Strive for perfection. Although you will never reach that goal, your work will be far better for the struggle. Rest in peace, Mr. Achebe. You have earned it.

File:ThingsFallApart.jpg
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Chinua-Achebe-celebrated-Nigerian-novelist-dies-4376128.php#ixzz2OIH3Y54G

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Tagged as Africa, Chinua Achebe, Nigeria, writing

by Laurel Leigh | March 14, 2013 · 11:22 am

Collection of Cool

Hello from the Dogpatch!

Noticing a comment online about rereading and rewatching favorite stories, put me in mind of my all-time favorite author appearances caught on video. I’ve watched these clips numerous times and am excited, amused, moved, and inspired at each viewing. I hope you enjoy!

Dagoberto Gilb

“Stupid America”: PEN/Hemingway Award winner Dagoberto Gilb speaking and reading at Librotraficante Caravan Tucson AZ:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lFKk1AuJF4

Awesome dramatic readings: A group of actors performing brief text from various works of fiction, including the opening of Dr. Olaf van Schuler’s Brain by Kirsten Menger-Anderson, from Sally Shore’s The New Short Fiction Series:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTrQ7-Egqcc

A true classic: Steve Almond on “Africa” by Toto at Tin House Magazine’s 10th Anniversary celebration:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3fxkhWZbx0

Steve Almond

You can read Steve’s “Why I Write Smut: A Manifesto” from his latest set of six tiny and gorgeous books called Writs of Passion.

Junot Díaz

Wisdom for us all: Pulitzer Prize winner Junot Díaz díscussing his process at the 2009 National Book Festival:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Gu91htmDpM

Happy writing,

XO Laurel Leigh

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Tagged as Dagoberto Gilb, Dr. Olaf van Schuler's Brain, Junot Diaz, Kirsten Menger-Anderson, Steve Almond, Writs of Passion

by Laurel Leigh | March 13, 2013 · 9:51 am

Write with Respect

Good morning from the Dogpatch, and fair warning: Only read this fabulous and hilarious post from Limebird Writers if you A) Love Kid Writers and B) Are Not Overly Offended by Poo.

Limebird Writers

I teach creative writing to children as part of an after-school enrichment program. One child, let’s call him Burt, is a bit obsessed with bodily functions. Burt wrote a story entitled, “The Battle of Pooey Land.”

Okay.

As a teacher, I try to pull out the story that’s buried deep beneath all the references to ‘poo’. I know kids must explore this part of life, and some get into it to the point they must write about it. As long as there’s a plot going on, a story that comes full circle, then I can ignore the gory detail.

However, I have my limits.

Burt used a fellow writing student (who’s also his so-called friend) as a character in his story. He did not change his friend’s name in the story, but I’ll refer to the friend as Ernie.

Burt wrote a scene where Ernie was captured by a band…

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by Jilanne Hoffmann | February 26, 2013 · 12:08 pm

Students of the essay take note: the above post from Café Casey is a lovely take on the learning process, whether it is painting, composing, or writing. Owning and then transforming “influence.”

Café Casey

I was looking at a picture of bamboo. I love bamboo. I have spent so many hours painting it. In my sumi-e practice, I have painted a million bamboo plants. In the beginning, I thought this was insane repetition. In Western schools you don’t sit and write the letter “e” a million times. Maybe that’s why I always flunked handwriting.

I used to sit and work on the same image or same kanji hundreds of times. Eventually, I learned, it was all the same. To create an image a thousand times is to create it once. Bamboo, chrysanthemum, a cherry blossom–whatever. The goal is to reach perfection. The reality is that perfection doesn’t exist. The perfection is, in fact, in imperfection. Sometimes, our drive to be perfect consumes us. We suffer. Practicing these arts teaches us eventually that the learning–the experience–is in the journey–perfection is just a destination to imagine…

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A Writer Becomes an Orphan by Jilanne Hoffmann

Dear Writers,

Our pack member Jilanne Hoffmann posted this moving piece on her personal blog. Indeed, it is the writer’s gift and burden to be able to write about something heartbreaking in a beautiful and passionate fashion. Thank you, Jill.

http://jilannehoffmann.com/2012/12/18/a-writer-becomes-an-orphan/#more-783

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Tagged as Death and dying, Death of parent, Jilanne Hoffman

by Laurel Leigh | November 4, 2012 · 6:25 pm

Potty Head

Hello from Bellingham WA on this windy evening. Which brings me to my topic—not the wind but the worry.

If worrying were an Olympic sport, I’d be caption of the U.S. team. If I listed everything I worry about, this blog would get far longer than Rapunzel’s hair, it would take up too much space, and WordPress might crash. That’s how much I worry. Enough to potentially crash WordPress and make me worry about the poor guy named Ted or something, who has to get up in the middle of the night and fix it. Sorry, Ted.

My itty bitty house is surrounded by 100-foot trees, and when the wind blows through the willows (okay, pine trees), I worry one or more trees will fall on my house. Or on my car. Or on me.

I have CSI-like evidence of the potential for this calamity. Continue reading →

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Filed under Howling at the moon, Rants

Tagged as fiction, memoir, trees, wind, worry

by Dogpatch Writers Collective | October 20, 2012 · 2:17 pm

Inspiring Blog Award Nomination

The Dogpatch Writers Collective was honored to receive a nomination for an Inspiring Blog Award from blogger and history consultant Marsha Lee of Streaming Thoughts. Thank you, Marsha Lee! There are so many great blogs happening now, and it’s wonderful to know our blog is inspiring to readers.

Read what Marsha Lee had to say about the Dogpatch Writers Collective and check out her site while you’re there: http://tchistorygal.wordpress.com/2012/06/29/inspiring-blog-award/

Sincere thanks to all of you who follow the Dogpatch Writers Collective. We’re very pleased to be part of a vibrant creative community.

Here are a couple other writing-related blogs to check out and we hope you will let us know about more.

Andrea Hurst & Associates publishes a group blog by West-based literary agents focused on the business of publishing as well as writing craft.
Robert Steven Williams has been blogging so long you might have a birthday while scrolling through his site. He’s a singer/song writer/story writer who opines on both story craft and current events.

Woof!

Jilanne, Wes, David & Laurel Leigh

Beauty and the Brain

Dear Writers,

You may be familiar with the Marilyn Monroe–Albert Einstein illusion that operates on the peculiarities of our vision system. Up close, where we perceive detail, the image looks like the great thinker Albert Einstein, but back away a few feet and our eyes will naturally adjust to a less-detailed rendering, allowing the features to resemble the stunning actress Marilyn Monroe. I think both perspectives as well as the distance at which our eyes struggle to decide who we’re seeing is interesting to a writer working to craft character.

Of course, how to describe characters when introducing them to the reader poses one challenge for writers. As emerging writers, at some point we all likely included some awkwardness in that initial description, perhaps including the unfortunate moment when the protagonist surveys herself/himself/itself in a hand mirror/shop window/pond and thoughtfully regards her/his/its own long blonde curls/spiky brown hair/man-killing tentacles. An author like the Franklin W. Dixon ghost troupe just puts it out there, letting us know by page 2 of The Secret Agent on Flight 101 that Joe Hardy is “blond and seventeen,” “enjoys joking,” and is “more impulsive” than his “dark-haird, eighteen-year-old brother.” Oh yeah, both ace teen detectives are “trim all-around athletes,” too. Continue reading →