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Jeanne Malmgren's avatar

"...a hemp pull cord for a toilet in a cruise ship cabin..."?! I nevvver know what you're going to come up with, my friend! That's fantastic -- and that's the detail I'll remember from this piece.

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Katie Weinberger's avatar

Thank you for this reminder Janisse! Whenever I feel stuck writing, I crack open one of your books for crafting inspiration 💚

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K.J. Wilsdon's avatar

I have been writing about the importance of writing about the inconsequential and ‘ordinary’ things in life, to remember and leave for descendants, social historians and novelists. This article about writing descriptions and concrete details articulates this concept - we need to apply this to writing about our lives, as well as in stories. Thank you for this!

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Cathy R. Payne's avatar

Thank you so much for these helpful insights. I was thinking about how to edit my Earth Grief poem in the shower this morning. I intend to work writing and editing into today's busy schedule.

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Ray Zimmerman's avatar

I recently encountered a somewhat different but equally intriguing opinion on nature writing.

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-weekend-essay/the-problem-of-nature-writing

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Mary Hutto Fruchter's avatar

Thanks for sharing this article which speaks to the power of story.

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K. Hamilton's avatar

Very interesting. Thanks for the share!

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Becki Clifton's avatar

Thank you for this! It’s something I believe I struggle with, but since I’ve found you again, you inspire me to be more descriptive. Funny that you use “Adonis” in your description of Raven. I recently became aware that my tough as nails, obtuse Grandpa was originally named Adonis & later in life he had it changed to “Don”. It’s funny the stories we uncover when we dig in our family history.

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Misti Little's avatar

“who wears a shirt with holes in it when he's painting.”- I think this captured him in my imagination more than anything else!

Will definitely have to refer back to this post in the future.

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