For Writers
I’ve been writing since childhood, but it took the support of other writers to help me get to the point where I could call myself a writer and believe it, and still longer to proclaim it to the world.
It is not easy to attempt a creative life; for those of us who do, there’s a desire, and an obligation, to hold out a hand to help the next person up.
I made a wonderful choice in 2011 to begin an MFA degree at The Solstice MFA Program, formerly of Pine Manor College, where I found a writing family to last a lifetime. They have seen me through, not only, writing trials, but unbelievably difficult life events. And they will be with me to celebrate the happy times and successes also.
“Solstice is more than an MFA Program; it is a loving, ever-growing, ever-encouraging family of writers.”
–Cathy Lentes, Writing for Young People, 2013
The fabulously wise director of Solstice, Meg Kearney, instructs participants of each residency class to fall in love with the work of another writer as an alternative to jealousy and envy. I have seen this principle at work in Solstice graduates as we champion each other and our various projects. A success for one is a success for all.
Meg, and the Solstice program, also believe in “cross-pollination” for writers—poets learn from fiction writers, creative nonfiction informs a picture book. Writers learn to write by reading widely and expanding their understanding of all writing.
Come with me. We are in this together!
BOOKS
- Becoming a Writer by Dorothea Brande
- Bird by Bird: Some Instructions for a Writing Life by Anne Lamott
- Fire Up Your Writing Brain by Susan Reynolds
- The Magic Words by Cheryl B. Klein
- The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales by Bruno Bettelheim
- The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human by Jonathan Gottschall
- Story Trumps Structure: How to Write Unforgettable Fiction by Breaking the Rules by Steven James
- Zen in the Art of Writing: Essays on Creativity by Ray Bradbury
- On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
- Wired to Create by Scott Barry Kaufman and Carolyn Gregoire
- Writing Hard Stories: Celebrated Memoirists Who Shaped Art From Trauma by Melanie Brooks