Write Now Coach! Blog by Rochelle Melander

For years I pooh-poohed mystery novels, considering them inferior to literary fiction. Then I met my favorite writer, Madeleine L’Engle, who admitted to not only reading but loving mystery novels. She touted the genre for its ability to teach plot to the would-be fiction writer. Like a good student, I... Read More

03 Aug 2011

Journaling, Wednesday Writing Prompt

Wednesday Writing Prompt: Lost and Found by Rochelle Melander

In my neighborhood, folks put their unwanted stuff out by the curb. Because this is a college neighborhood, with students moving in and out, this happens pretty regularly in the summer. Last week, I came across this little Santa while walking the dog. Living in Wisconsin, I am not used... Read More

02 Aug 2011

Book Reviews, Writers Read, Writing Books

#WritersRead: On What I Talk About … by Rochelle Melander

For years, I imagined that authors were blessed with a humongous dose of inspiration that drove them to work hard and achieve great things. Now I know differently. Haruki Murakami is a Japanese novelist and runner. In his book, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, Murakami says:... Read More

27 Jul 2011

Wednesday Writing Prompt

Wednesday Writing Prompt: Time Travel By Rochelle Melander

Choose an old object from your home. If you don’t have any, find a picture of an antique online. Imagine that when you touch the object, you are transported to its original time and place. *Where are you? *What happens? *How do you interact with the object? Write about it!... Read More

26 Jul 2011

Book Reviews, Writing Books

#WritersRead: On A Writer’s Notebook by Rochelle Melander

In college, I dreamed of becoming a professor. In the midst of doing an intensive semester-long independent study, one of my professors told me that scholars must possess a large capacity for boredom. For years, I’ve thought the same thing about writing. Often, the research for a particular article or... Read More

20 Jul 2011

Wednesday Writing Prompt

Wednesday Writing Prompt: Journaling by Debra Brenegan

Practice Makes Perfect: How journaling helps the writing process Guest Post by Debra Brenegan One requirement I have for students of my Introduction to Creative Writing Courses: Keep a journal. My students need to write a minimum of two full pages a week for the 15 weeks we are in... Read More

19 Jul 2011

Book Reviews, Writers Read, Writing Books

#WritersRead: On Bird by Bird by Rochelle Melander

For much of my life, I have struggled with the tyranny of perfectionism. Thankfully, when I was just starting my writing career, I happened upon Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life and this advice: Perfection is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the... Read More

13 Jul 2011

Wednesday Writing Prompt

Wednesday Writing Prompt: Writing Your Dreams

Your dreams can be a rich source of stories, images, metaphors, and sensory details for your writing. Jacquelyn Mitchard’s novel The Deep End of the Ocean and Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight both began with the authors’ dreams. You, too, can use your dreams to spark a new story or give an... Read More