tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10091286.comments2023-07-03T00:46:29.189-07:00Pen On Fire / Writers on WritingBarbara DeMarco-Barretthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11407113008901754361noreply@blogger.comBlogger1511125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10091286.post-32017419569453275512013-01-01T17:35:25.701-08:002013-01-01T17:35:25.701-08:00Interesting Pod Cast. Thanks for sharing.
Happy ...Interesting Pod Cast. Thanks for sharing.<br /><br />Happy New Year!Bill Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14649212489891769390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10091286.post-2548364388934876312012-12-08T08:29:28.593-08:002012-12-08T08:29:28.593-08:00Great poem! Thank you for sharing. I'm not a h...Great poem! Thank you for sharing. I'm not a huge poetry lover myself. I like odes that make you feel for what the poem is worshipping, but I get easily distracted when they're too abstract and distant. Blame it on the instantaneous ADD video gaming generation -- even though I I don't have either ADD or games :POliviahttp://www.oliviamainville.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10091286.post-40967125110492279092012-11-12T17:43:08.533-08:002012-11-12T17:43:08.533-08:00This blog will remain up for a while, but I believ...This blog will remain up for a while, but I believe at this point everything has been transferred to the website.<br /><br />Thanks for asking, Bill!Barbara DeMarco-Barretthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11407113008901754361noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10091286.post-51580377402821622012012-11-12T17:39:15.932-08:002012-11-12T17:39:15.932-08:00Very nice site. It is now bookmarked.
Will you be...Very nice site. It is now bookmarked.<br />Will you be keeping this blog alive?Bill Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14649212489891769390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10091286.post-8112412914425816052012-09-21T16:50:21.282-07:002012-09-21T16:50:21.282-07:00It will be great to meet you, Caroline!
It will be great to meet you, Caroline!<br />Barbara DeMarco-Barretthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11407113008901754361noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10091286.post-83193667892466479782012-09-20T06:27:22.151-07:002012-09-20T06:27:22.151-07:00I just discovered your blog via your book "Pe...I just discovered your blog via your book "Pen on Fire" and thought I'd say hi and that I'm looking forward to the Gotham course - I enrolled today. Carolinehttp://beautyisasleepingcat.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10091286.post-60588019494630653242012-09-17T12:18:38.815-07:002012-09-17T12:18:38.815-07:00Thanks, Toby!
For those who may be interested, the...Thanks, Toby!<br />For those who may be interested, the interview is in the Sept. issue of The ASJA Monthly which you can access by going to www.asja.org and click on The ASJA Monthly. <br /><br />Dinah is so articulate about the process of writing memoir, isn't she?<br /><br />BarbaraBarbara DeMarco-Barretthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11407113008901754361noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10091286.post-59573106340909883752012-09-14T14:12:47.764-07:002012-09-14T14:12:47.764-07:00Hi Barbara,
Just read your interview with Dinah L...Hi Barbara, <br />Just read your interview with Dinah Lenney in Voices on Writing from the August 2012 issue of ASJA and want to tell you how much I enjoyed it. Thanks!<br />TobyToby Goodehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13595243024302386080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10091286.post-19761850245107339302012-08-12T10:27:13.097-07:002012-08-12T10:27:13.097-07:00I started listening to it a few years ago when How...I started listening to it a few years ago when Howard Junker recommended it. I especially love the discussions of the story afterwards, it's kind of like getting to sit in on an MFA seminar with a couple really talented people.Donhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08437818869878209929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10091286.post-2400216182187639362012-08-12T10:06:45.094-07:002012-08-12T10:06:45.094-07:00Sounds wonderful and yummmmmmy.
I think I will giv...Sounds wonderful and yummmmmmy.<br />I think I will give the tarts a try.Bill Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14649212489891769390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10091286.post-3760452261168677492012-08-09T22:13:44.706-07:002012-08-09T22:13:44.706-07:00Eloquent. Thought-provoking. I found myself saying...Eloquent. Thought-provoking. I found myself saying YES, silently, in rhythm to her stories and ideas. Thank you for posting. I'm going to share it on Facebook.Sally Wiener Grottahttp://www.pixelhallpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10091286.post-25495244538591553692012-08-09T21:56:24.428-07:002012-08-09T21:56:24.428-07:00Beautiful. Thanks for posting. Sharing it on Faceb...Beautiful. Thanks for posting. Sharing it on Facebook.Sally Wiener Grottahttp://www.pixelhallpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10091286.post-67035629899461488922012-07-24T08:20:11.980-07:002012-07-24T08:20:11.980-07:00Thanks for the review. I'm excited to get past...Thanks for the review. I'm excited to get past chapter 3 and to download his tracks off Itunes.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10091286.post-71775263743679426802012-07-11T19:22:52.138-07:002012-07-11T19:22:52.138-07:00Beautiful Ruins is my leading contender for best b...Beautiful Ruins is my leading contender for best book of the year.Donhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08437818869878209929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10091286.post-3645764230833859202012-07-06T18:36:02.518-07:002012-07-06T18:36:02.518-07:00Very beautiful place. I'm glad you enjoyed yo...Very beautiful place. I'm glad you enjoyed your trip.Bill Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14649212489891769390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10091286.post-56179533387354301622012-06-26T11:38:46.256-07:002012-06-26T11:38:46.256-07:00Great for you - and for us, the auspiciously enter...Great for you - and for us, the auspiciously entertained!talkladyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03736534881427437979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10091286.post-90597973360221102152012-06-26T11:37:18.636-07:002012-06-26T11:37:18.636-07:00Exited for you - and for us, the auspiciously ente...Exited for you - and for us, the auspiciously entertained listeners!talkladyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03736534881427437979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10091286.post-54092830741854912112012-06-20T11:44:47.482-07:002012-06-20T11:44:47.482-07:00That sounds like fun! Have a ball.That sounds like fun! Have a ball.Lesleahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12911678595526238285noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10091286.post-89136245420920807542012-06-18T06:59:31.980-07:002012-06-18T06:59:31.980-07:00That sounds like fun. Good luck!That sounds like fun. Good luck!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10091286.post-77897937311555097922012-06-12T07:18:22.394-07:002012-06-12T07:18:22.394-07:00"Wonder Show" is a delightfully dark and..."Wonder Show" is a delightfully dark and insightful book. Portia embarks on a remarkable journey and the author weaves her story amid a surrealistic villain, complex and moody characters and the stark realism of the Depression era traveling sideshow. Like Portia herself, the story is plucky, complex and brutally honest.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10091286.post-79350324971233378212012-05-15T07:18:11.834-07:002012-05-15T07:18:11.834-07:00Interesting comments! I'm writing a memoir and...Interesting comments! I'm writing a memoir and when I offer it to my readers, I do so with a deep breath and the knowledge that separating the writer from the writing may be difficult for them. Yet, their comments are inevitably useful. I would never allow someone to read it who didn't understand that the feedback needs to center on the story and writing.Barbara DeMarco-Barretthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11407113008901754361noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10091286.post-64698950484909630162012-05-14T21:46:46.224-07:002012-05-14T21:46:46.224-07:00With fiction, even though the work was likely base...With fiction, even though the work was likely based on many real events, you can still talk about the character, but with memoir, you know that you are addressing the author personally and it can have boundry issues. If the writer suffered trauma, you really feel for your comrade and yet want to critique the work. You want to offer solace for past events because you are human, first aid for the work because you are skilled and you can see where it could be better, and praise and encouragement for such bravery and honesty in telling the truth. There is no way in my mind to separate this triage of sorts. It is both awkward and OK if you do it with respect and dignity for the writer. If you are human, you cannot listen to these events and remain mute or unmoved as a kindred spirit, nor should you. This is not a clinic, it's a critique group.Kelly von Hemerthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14582213528796567488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10091286.post-68363426289733029512012-05-14T14:44:01.797-07:002012-05-14T14:44:01.797-07:00I find it difficult to critique memoirs in a works...I find it difficult to critique memoirs in a workshop. Sometimes the revelations are intimate, making it almost impossible to separate the work from the author. It’s easier for me to create some distance and be more objective by thinking of the narrator as a character in the story and not the person sitting across the room. <br /><br />So in that way, I suppose I critique both memoirs and fiction in the same way (or try to), by focusing on the writing. I’m not sure they should be critiqued differently (or where the line should be), however, it might be less personal and more helpful by referring to the author as “she” (the narrator) and not “you.” Tough question. I’d be interested to hear what other memoir writers have to say about this.Diannehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13127435664846103961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10091286.post-87290820403307113922012-05-14T11:11:32.730-07:002012-05-14T11:11:32.730-07:00I think you need to trust the group. I was part of...I think you need to trust the group. I was part of a group where a senior citizen aged man shared his memoir in chapters. His life was really interesting but he tended to hold back on some of the emotional details which was probably due to his generation. So we usually pressed him for more of what he hinted at, and over time he grew more comfortable with the group to add in and share those details. <br /><br />I can see how the opposite might not go over well; if a memoir included very personal issues like sexual molestation or something. I think a trust should be built up enough to share those chapters, or possibly choose one or two people from the group to share specifically difficult chapters.Stephscohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06328839483008086049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10091286.post-60449789966627592142012-05-14T10:53:45.635-07:002012-05-14T10:53:45.635-07:00I think we can help people discover themselves so ...I think we can help people discover themselves so they can more authentically write their memoir but we cannot tell them how they should have or might have felt. That is the difference of the critique.Aimee Winghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11632677410750809107noreply@blogger.com