Linda K Sienkiewicz

Writing life, line by line

What, Why, How: Aaron Hamburger on writing characters that readers will love

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What: I write literary fiction and non-fiction. All of my books have been fiction (two novels and a story collection), but I’ve written a great deal of creative non-fiction, especially memoir essays, and my dream is to someday write a full book of creative non-fiction. In both formats, I tend to draw material from life, but in fiction, I repurpose details, shuffle things up, and embellish them … [Read more...]

How do you define hate, and where does it lead us?

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Hate. America on fire with hate. Hate fuels politics. There are Republican haters. Democrat haters. Trump haters. Millennial haters. Baby boomer haters. Pro-life haters, pro-choice haters, immigration rights haters, gay rights haters, women haters, minority haters. The haters, the hate and the ensuing vitriol seem endless. The definition of hate It's a mighty strong word, one not to … [Read more...]

Unreliable Witness

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How accurate of a witness do you think you’d make? I was left wondering about my own abilities after being in the middle of a scary situation one Saturday afternoon. It started as an ordinary ride The afternoon was sultry and hot as I rode my bicycle along Paint Creek Trail, Michigan, a rail trail where the crushed limestone path often widens and narrows. This beautiful shaded trail is … [Read more...]

The Heart of Storytelling

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These fabulous "rules" (I prefer to call them writing tips) for storytelling were handed out at a recent conference, with credit to Pixar Story Artist Emma Coats. I refer to them often, so I thought I'd share. Start storytelling! Once upon a time there was _________. Every day, ________. Because of that, _________. Because of that, ________. Until finally, __________.THEME: Trying for a … [Read more...]

How to Make a Literary Scarf

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Lovers of the written word: The late Mary Oliver's poetry is both brilliant, down to earth, and so often quoted. I've seen literary scarves with text from Pride and Prejudice, Alice in Wonderland, the Raven, and even Maya Angelou's poetry, but I haven't found anything with Mary Oliver's. My solution: hand letter a literary scarf myself. I used a yellow and white infinity scarf from a local … [Read more...]