Believe it or not, The Book is nearly done...I'm about to send the manuscript to a professional editor to help make sure it's really truly ready. (Of course when I get my 'editorial letter' back in about a month, I could find out that it's not nearly done...but let's not think about that now, shall … Continue reading The Book, Chapter Two: Disclosure
writing
Hell and god
Maybe we've all been thinking about hell a bit more this past week. Here's an excerpt from The Book that I read at Hugo House's Works in Progress last Monday night. Hell and god “Can you believe in hell if you don’t believe in God?” While she was working up her courage to call Jack, … Continue reading Hell and god
Really really short stories
Narrative Magazine now takes submissions for what they call 'iStories,' stories of 150 words or less meant for reading on an iPad, iPod, or iTouch. Here's one I'm planning to submit - tell me what you think of it! *************** Can you slow down time? he asked her. She did that thing, that tying-her-hair-into-a-knot-near-the-top-of-her-head thing. … Continue reading Really really short stories
Love your library
On April 9, 1883, the first publicly-funded library in the U.S. opened in Peterborough, New Hampshire. There may be no single institution more necessary to the free exchange of ideas than the public library - the place where those ideas are housed and made available to anyone with a library card. In the last ten … Continue reading Love your library
I’m not a poet
In honor of National Poetry Month, here's a poem I wrote in a Hugo House class a little over a year ago. (I told you, I'm not a poet.) This is a forwards-backwards poem - you can pick which you like best. Her hand moves across the page, abandoning the words as she writes them. … Continue reading I’m not a poet
Recalibrating
Just finished a "short" story I started writing last fall. It's a lot different than my usual writing voice, a bit on the dark side, and one of the longer stories I've written. Here's a short excerpt that seems to resonate with current world events. My editor friend suggests, quite gently, that there is no point … Continue reading Recalibrating
Go read Sherman Alexie…now
Hearing Sherman Alexie (http://www.fallsapart.com/) speak about life and writing and books and read from his upcoming sequel to The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian tonight was a healing experience - he was funny, irreverent, touching, gifted, and above all generous. Alexie is one of the finest writers working today. Go find anything he's written … Continue reading Go read Sherman Alexie…now
On the Mountaintop
The second of two stories I submitted to the Richard Hugo House winter new works contest is posted here. She lay there on the mountaintop, staring at the stars. Okay, it wasn’t exactly a mountaintop. It was a pretty big hill, though; one covered in scrub and stones, and she had climbed to the top … Continue reading On the Mountaintop
The Archive Project
There's a new excerpt from the novel - click on The Book page to read the whole thing. This is how the excerpt starts; it is the beginning of the novel; or so it seems... Chapter One: The Archive Project The night everything changed for Louise Armstrong Holliday, her mind was filled with one thought: This … Continue reading The Archive Project
Roughing it up
Have I mentioned before that Richard Hugo House is the best place for writers in Seattle, probably in the U.S., and possibly in the world? I took another great writing workshop there, Very Short Tales taught by Angela Fountas, a chance to use some of the conventions of fairy tales to play around with our … Continue reading Roughing it up
Elizabeth Fountain, Author 