Most of the time, I'm not thinking about whether or not I'm going to include someone in a story because when I do, it will end up being playful and in good nature.
But when an essay is a little more thorny or raw, and I feel uncomfortable about what I have to say about a person, I use a handful o...
TL;DR: it's complicated.
Tonight, I will be hosting my weekly free memoir writing workshop. Find details at the end of the email.
Last week, I hosted my free "Memoir Writing Workshop," and an attendee asked, "How much can I share about others in my stories?"
This is a difficult question to answe...
Oh, man. What is this word that I'm looking for?
What did this MirĂł painting evoked in me?
This painting is so...
So...
Oh, I know.
So dumb!
What a fucking dumb painting?
Listen, I have to admit to you. Sometimes, what critics call high art is just above my limited intelligence.
This canvas, whic...
Next week, I'm hosting a monthly in-person storytelling circle in Petaluma at Grand Central Coffee Shop. I'm producing this show with two friends, and one of them invited me to present it to a group of artists she guides through Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way.
I thought, "I can pitch an event a...
I recently bought Mike Sacks' "And Here is the Kicker," and when I added it to my humor writing collection on Kindle, I saw that this collection has become quite sizable.
I have been reading on writing and humor writing for over ten years. I especially like interviews with comedic writers because...
And I'm doing it again!
Five minutes before my Facebook Live started, I realized I had already gotten myself into my pajamas. So I quickly ran to my closet to get a sweater to look presentable from the waist up.
I sat at my computer. I needed to run the workshop from there because I was showing ...
When I perform at story slams, I typically have people approach me after the show and ask me if my story is real.
The thing about most story slams is that the stories you tell need to be real. Some people choose to make up stuff.
I don't.
Life is plenty bizarre without any help from me.
Then they...
There is a funk going around, isn’t there?
In almost every conversation I am having, people are feeling a bit down.
Maybe it is the fact that even after making a conscious effort not to follow politics, Musk and Trump still manage to do something outrageous that can pierce your information barrie...
It is the only option you have if you are a busy person
There is very little hope for a day when, at 6:15, someone you love screams in your face at the top of their lungs, kicks you in the balls, and punches you in the stomach.
There is no better adjective to describe such mornings than 'shit." ...
Incorporating an important step from the Montessori workflow
There is a difference between authoritarian and authoritative communication models.
Authoritarian communication is one established through fear and coercion. If this model had a motto, it would be, "Because I said so."
Authoritative com...
And it doesn't matter. You still have to do it.Â
I saw my mother-in-law last Sunday, and she told me how, on Friday, she hosted a small get-together after a putting contest at our local golf course.
She woke up early in the morning to cook and clean, then ran to the course, then came back to host...
Two suggestions for your creative practice from John Cleese's book Creativity
Every time I fly to Hawaii with Hawaiian Airlines, I read Hana you. It is the airline's magazine, and it is filled with great stories, beautiful photography of all the islands, and suggestions of what to do depending o...
