Thresholds Weekly
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The Flashback in Memoir
Memoir is the art of remembering and retelling, to shape memory into universal truths. This requires a lot of rearranging and organizing the information of
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Setting the Scene in Memoir
What is the setting of a story? Setting is where the story takes place. It is the location such as a city, the countryside, the
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Plot Devices for Memoir
Memoirs are not plot driven, but that doesn’t mean that memoirists shouldn’t work hard to enhance their storytelling with the use of plot devices. Memoirs
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Imitation and Inspiration
Art begins in imitation and ends in innovation—Mason Cooley Many artists and that includes writers worry about imitating others in their work. My suggestion is
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Navigating Trauma in Writing
If you are writing a memoir, you have likely experienced some traumatic experiences. In fact, that may be precisely why you have struggled to tell
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Feedback
Giving and receiving feedback is such an important part of a writer’s life. But so many of us are not great at doing either one.
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Developing Subtext
Subtext: Implicit meaning that lies below the surface of the words of any text. All writing can benefit from subtext so that it is layered
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Writing with Integrity
Write with integrity. That exhortation might paralyze a writer. Fear looms large. The permanence of words written down can feel like the passing of a
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Writer’s Block
A regular practice of writing is very important to cultivate the skills and stamina that writers need to make a career out of their craft
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What is Your Process
You are a writer. And like all writers and other creative, you have a unique process. For most of us this process is subconscious and
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Working with Memory
Memoir writing is a way of stepping out of our skin and observing what goes on in our own minds. Every time we write in
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The Writer’s Lineage
It’s been said that the writer’s life can be a solitary one and it is true that many hours are passed alone in front of the
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The Process and the Product
The purpose of writing is to create a tangible product—book, an essay, a short story or poem. But why do it? The process can be exhausting,
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Shaping Your Story
Once you have been through several drafts, you have revised, cut and cleaned up your story it is time to shape it. Here are some
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Revisions
Writing is one of those arts that we take for granted. We write emails, cards, grocery lists and text messages. Some of us write lengthier