Category Archives: Telling our stories

Alchemy

Posted on November 14, 2016 by Nancy

Years ago, when I first started teaching, a woman signed up for my class at the John C. Campbell Folk School in the N.C. mountains because her doctor had told her that if she didn’t do something for herself soon, … Continue reading →

Posted in creativity, depression, emotion, Energy, Magic, Process, Prompts, Self-worth, soul, spirit, Story, survival, Telling our stories, Transformation, Uncategorized, Visibilty, voice, women | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Is Confidence Necessary?

Posted on September 19, 2016 by Nancy

I am at an age where I look back on my younger self with great tenderness. I wonder what happened so early in my childhood that my confidence was completely wiped out. There are of course institutions and people to … Continue reading →

Posted in comfort, Comparison, creativity, critique, emotion, failure, fantasy, privacy, Self-worth, silence, Society, survival, Telling our stories, Uncategorized, Visibilty, Wounds | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Lather, Rinse, Repeat

Posted on December 14, 2015 by Nancy

Nine times a month I teach classes devoted only to writing from prompts. The prompts can range anywhere from a line of poetry, to a picture, to an object, to writing a story that places an object within a picture, … Continue reading →

Posted in class, Community; Genorosity, creativity, Energy, Exploration, fun with what we do, Magic, Process, Prompts, Story, Telling our stories, The Muse, Uncategorized, Writing exercises | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Distorting American History

Posted on July 20, 2015 by Nancy

Dear Karen, I am not living the life I was raised to live. I was raised to be a housewife, to not work, to have children and stay home. My mother wanted me to go to college so I could … Continue reading →

Posted in fiction, History, research, Story, Telling our stories, truth, Uncategorized, voice | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Empathy

Posted on December 1, 2014 by Nancy

Dear Karen, It is two days past Thanksgiving, 2014. At the start of the week we learned of a grand jury’s refusal to indict a policeman for the shooting of an unarmed black man. There were riots. Cars were burned. … Continue reading →

Posted in class, economics, Elitism, emotion, Grief, Story, Telling our stories, Uncategorized, violence, voice | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Caretaking

Posted on November 3, 2014 by Nancy

Dear Karen, Your letter about layers has made me think of the layers of my own history, manifest in certain pains that I am grappling with now. These layers, layers I thought long ago put to rest with therapy and … Continue reading →

Posted in comfort, Day by day, depression, fiction, Maintenance, Motherhood, Process, Story, Telling our stories, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Laughter and Tears

Posted on July 28, 2014 by Nancy

Dear Karen – I am thinking about laughter. I love laughter. I love humor, hilarity, wit, silliness. I love joking. I love irony. Sometimes I love things that aren’t supposed to be funny, or weren’t funny while they were being … Continue reading →

Posted in class, Community; Genorosity, creativity, fun with what we do, happiness, Philosophy, Play, Process, Publishing, Telling our stories, The Writer's Life, Uncategorized, what artists need | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

I have to believe there is a writing life….

Posted on June 9, 2014 by Nancy

Dear Nancy: This last week or so I have been moving back home after my semester away.  My days have been filled with a heap of teaching work still to do, dental checkups, pap smears, breast exams, clogged ears, and … Continue reading →

Posted in comfort, creativity, economics, Gratitude, Self-worth, Telling our stories, The Writer's Life, what artists need, Writing career | Tagged | 5 Comments

Wholeness

Posted on August 16, 2013 by Nancy

Dear Nancy: As I said to you on the phone the other day, this last writing letter from you was the one I’ve loved most so far. I’ve carried it around in me all week, thinking about it. Thinking about … Continue reading →

Posted in Completing a novel, creativity, Day by day, Decisions, Self-worth, Telling our stories, The Writer's Life | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The amniotic sea

Posted on June 3, 2013 by Nancy

Dear Nancy: I got your last letter while I was still at the ocean, that land of light and distance. We saw dolphins and egrets and newborn ponies and each day I walked to the far end of the beach, … Continue reading →

Posted in Day by day, Decisions, Self-worth, Telling our stories, The Writer's Life | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment