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Anthology: Relational Aggression in Females
Seeking essays from women of all ages, races, and sexual orientations who have experienced bullying during their developmental years from other girls or who have been victims in their adulthood of aggressive, demeaning, or disempowering behavior from other women. The ideal essay will include observations about the emotional impact such experiences have had. Word limit: 700. Please email all submissions to: www.changesinlife.com, with Anthology in the title line and the title in the body of the essay. Marlene Samuels & Pat LaPointe
READ MORE...Hot Flash Contest
This year’s Hot Flash Contest winners with the recent national conference in Austin, TX. include “Burning Season” by Marlene Samuels.
Why Two-hundred and Fifty?
You may not have the slightest interest in becoming a professional writer but even if you don’t, you and everyone you know would be wise to learn how to write at a professional level. So what, exactly, does that mean? It refers to becoming the best writer YOU can be and there are numerous, important reasons — obvious and subtle. The most important: clear, effective writing and clear effective communication are inseparable. Besides helping us communicate effectively, good writing also … READ MORE…
Are They Who or Are They That?
Recently, after listening to chatter all around me, I started to wonder: When did “that” become a proxy for “who” and when did a “reason” become redundant as in “the reason why”? Yesterday, watching the evening news, I heard two commentators discuss a personal problem. The first talking-head (I’ll call him John) said to the second one (how about Jim?), “I have a good friend that has dealt with that issue.” So my question was born. When did Jim’s good … READ MORE…
Writing Methods
When I was in graduate school, one of my professors, a world famous psychologist in the burgeoning field of creativity, was notorious for his unattainable standards of precise writing and articulate speaking. Should any student in our class dare ask a question this professor deemed poorly phrased or lacking precision, he’d growl at the victim, “Write it down, damn it, and be quick about it! We’re waiting so when you finish, you’ll re-ask your question but this time, I trust, … READ MORE…
What Are You Working On?
“What are you working on?” I know that’s the first question everyone asks writers. Sure, it’s straight forward but too often is a warm-up to more difficult questions such as: Where do you get your ideas? Who’s your greatest inspiration? Do you ever experience “writer’s block”? When you do, how do you get past it? What’s your favorite book of all time? Who’s your absolute favorite writer? I’m sorry! Really? Are there answers writers have to these questions, writers who … READ MORE…
Bad Writing: A Curse
What does that mean, the curse of bad writing? Yes, bad writing can be a curse. Why? Written language, a primary means of communication, is a critical skill. But bad writing? That poses a serious, life-long impairment. First and foremost: write what you mean, mean what you write, and do both with unambiguous language, proper grammar, and free of cliches and malapropisms. Recently, I read the following sentence in one of my favorite women’s journals, an academically oriented one whose … READ MORE…
Film Release: A VOICE AMONG THE SILENT
A VOICE AMONG THE SILENT: The Legacy of James G. McDonald is the first documentary to shine light on James McDonald’s remarkable efforts to warn the world of Adolf Hitler’s plan for the Jews. The incredible story of McDonald’s foresight was almost lost to history until his meticulously kept diaries were discovered in 2003. Working with Filmmaker Shuli Eshel, I was very proud to provide the principal Research for the film, now released on DVD and availale for screenings. For … READ MORE…
Comparing My Work With the Genre
Most of my writing conveys the high degree of awareness I had, even as a young child, about society’s disenfranchised – especially un-assimilated immigrants and economically under-privileged. Those two characteristics seem intertwined so much of the time. In large part, I think I’m exceptionally qualified to write about experiences from that world because I’ve actually lived in it until, when I was a young teen, my family moved to the USA. Truthfully, my stories and experience aren’t entirely unique. There … READ MORE…
Why I Write What I Write
Since I do write in two very different genres – sociology and creative non-fiction, I think there really are only two reasons I write what I do. First, my academic writing is based on my interests and curiosities about society. I’m always asking the same questions but in different ways. The question drives both my academic work and my creative non-fiction: What makes populations behave in the ways they do? How could entire countries and continents be so complicit during … READ MORE…
Why Do I Write? Or How to Defend A Cliche
That’s the standard question every writer is asked and feels compelled to answer, one about which all writers ultimately do write essays. Sometimes, even after having written such an essay, the writer will revisit reasons for writing with some regularity. But the topic, Why Do I Write, is far from a modern-day quest. It dates back – way, way back in time, possibly even as far back as writing itself does. We’ve all read numerous cliché answers. Among them: “I … READ MORE…