But I'm not a writer...
Ways to overcome the myth that writers are just born
“But I’m not a writer…”
I hear that often.
And I usually reply, “but that’s why editors exist.”
Now, I’m not saying that everyone can go out and do the job of a professional writer, but if you have a story inside of you, you can and should write it. Even if just for you. Or your family. Or your college roommate.
That’s what we’ll be talking about at our upcoming workshop Hellertown Library— how to take those personal stories and record them. Because whether you write them for yourself or for publication, there is a wide range of possibilities amid polished and unpolished pieces.
Work does not have to be polished to have value.
So that’s my motivational speech for this week. (And a great teaser for the free workshop Larry Sceurman and I are giving at the Hellertown Library at the end of the month. See their web site for more information.)
Need a little more support?
Want to try some writing without the commitment of a whole project?
Try writing prompts.
You can Google some, or you can invest in a book of them. I currently have two writing prompt books, but they don’t necessarily work for me.
I don’t like being told what to do.
The only difference between the two books is size. The one is large format, at 8.5 x 11 and the other is tiny, maybe a 4.5 x 4.5 square. But the smaller contains more prompts. The larger provides more space to write.
If you want creative practice and to improve your basic sentences, finishing a book like this is a great exercise.
Just a few of the prompts:
“You’re an acrobat in the flea circus. Describe your signature move and its name.”
“Write four names for a punk band.”
“Write the confession of a man who killed his best friend and is not sorry at all.”
“What do you wish was glow-in-the-dark’?”
“How do you handle difficult people?”
Joan Zachary at the Nazareth Center for the Arts
Photographer Joan Zachary does a lot of great work for us here at Parisian Phoenix, and we try to support her endeavors. She was part of an art exhibition at the Nazareth Center for the Arts in Nazareth, Pa., and hosted its closing reception on Sunday, May 18. In the photos in the gallery above, Joan’s photos are on the bottom of each column. The first scene features a great angle/perspective of a country road and the second chronicles the stained glass effect on another storefront in Nazareth.
Stranger than Fiction (movie)
I started a new section on my free reader’s resources section: Movies about writing. I wasn’t feeling great yesterday afternoon so I watched Stranger than Fiction on streaming.
Stranger than Fiction (2006), Will Ferrell, Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Queen Latifah. IRS auditor Harold Crick realizes he’s a character in Karen Eiffel’s latest novel when he hears her narrating his life in his head. He enlists the help of a literature professor to figure out his story before the author kills him.
My review: Four stars. Harold Crick is an adorable character, and I enjoyed the cinematography. The way the plot covers the anguish of writing and the construction of literature while making a statement on how people live their mundane lives kept me engaged and thinking.
Addition to the free Writers Resources section:
4theWords: This one is very similar to Oh Write! but provides a video-game-like format and offers the completion of quests to help keep you writing. Click here to learn more.
EVENTS
TOMORROW, launch of the print version of M. Christian’s erotic romance, Brushes.
The networking event and food drive at Greater Lehigh Valley Meals on Wheels has been rescheduled to May 21 due to rain. This Friends of Pete event was originally scheduled for May 14. We are hoping we can still attend (but if not, I still encourage you to check it out). Friends of Pete is an amazing, supporting networking group that gathers at locations at various points of the valley so professionals and entrepreneurs can have meaningful conversations about their work and give/get advice. Stop by Meals on Wheels, 1302 North Sherman St., Allentown, Pa. 18109, between 4 & 7 p.m.
At the Hellertown Library at 10:30 a.m. May 31, join oral storyteller and author Larry Sceurman and publisher Angel Ackerman for a short, interactive program on how to transform that story you’ve told for years into print. They will discuss deciding on your audience and format, and offer tips for transforming an oral story into formal writing. Even if you don’t think you’re a writer, this is a great way to preserve your personal and family history. Please pre-register for this free workshop: (610) 838-8381.
At 4 p.m. Sunday, June 1, author Hugo Yelagin will host a launch party for his cosmic horror novel, Deadlights, at downtown Easton’s Book and Puppet Company. Hugo’s debut novel, inspired by H.P. Lovecraft, blends horror and hope as protagonist Maxwell Corvid faces his family legacy— which is also his nightmare. Reserve your copy of the novel through Book & Puppet here.
Also June 1, Julian Costa releases his third book with Parisian Phoenix, Coach of the Building, chronicling the career of educator Richard Carty in time for the 25th anniversary of the opening of East Stroudsburg North High School.
On June 7, the Echo City Capers duo will be selling and signing books at Moravian Historical Society Arts & Crafts Festival in Nazareth, Pa. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, click here.
On June 14, Larry Sceurman will participate in Local Authors Day at Doylestown Bookshop in Doylestown, Pa. Look for more details on that event soon!
On June 16, McKenna Graf will launch her newest poetry collection, The Depths, the third volume in her archive of adolescence series, with an audiobook releasing on Bandcamp. Print version will be available all the usual places.
And on June 21, we will join the Pocono Liars Club at the Eastern Monroe Public Library in Stroudsburg, Pa., for their 2025 Author Expo with a theme of END BOOK BANNING. That event runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Click here for more information.
June 24, McKenna Graf will be at the Barnes & Noble on the Upper East Side in Manhattan, 6 to 7:30 p.m., promoting The Depths.
July 4, the official release of Benjamin Goluboff’s and Mark Luebbers’ poetry chapbook, Group Portrait, a unique interpretation of a photographic portrait in the World War II era from Peggy Guggenheim’s art salon.
July 14, the official release of Motorhome Gypsies, our RV Living book that is part memoir and part practical advice, by Rachel Thompson and Lisa Cross.
On August 16, I will be hosting a memoir workshop from 1 to 4 p.m. at Blank Space Community Center, 85 Makefield Road Unit 7, Yardley, Pa., 19067. Tickets will be $40 and will include print materials. Details to be announced soon.
Also in August, the release of Any Landing You Walk Away from is a Good Landing, historical fiction about the airline industry in the throes of 1980’s deregulation. The author of that book is retired flight attendant Dawn O’Harra.
DID YOU KNOW…
For less than $2 an issue, you can support PARISIAN PHOENIX BOOKISH BABBLE as a paid subscriber. Benefits include: 1. Free chapters and excerpts of new books. 2. Curated lists and annotated reviews of podcasts, writing books, and bookstores. 3. Full, unlimited access to ALL of my slides from my writing workshops. PLUS unlimited access to the archives of all my posts.
COMING SOON: Slides from the Storytelling Workshop at Hellertown Library, available for paid subscribers in early June.
COMING EVEN SOONER: more writing craft resources
As always—
Angel
It’s been over three years now, and what I’ve learned is this—the most valuable editor isn’t the one who’s just good at fixing words, it’s the one who’s anointed to pull the writer out of the person.
Not adding their voice, but making space for yours to come through—clear, confident, and true.
I just want to say I honor you, I appreciate you, and I respect you for everything you’ve done for me. It means more than I can put into words.♥️💪🏿♥️
A writers biggest ally is their editor — and I'm thrilled that you're mine.
Thank you for making me look good!