Linda K Sienkiewicz

Writing life, line by line

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...]

Three Sheets to the Wind: A Pirate Jamboree on Ocracoke

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Avast, ye hearties! Hurricane Florence forced us to reschedule our September visit to Ocracoke Island, NC to October, but lucky us, that's when the annual Pirate Jamboree was held. We got to partake in two days of swashbuckling good fun! Ocracoke Island is a narrow strip of sand largely controlled by the National Park Service. The only way on or off the island is by boat, ferry or small … [Read more...]

Beyond the Easy Gestures in Fiction

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Oh, those flashing eyes! The other day, I laughed when I read the recent tweet of a fellow writer: “There's a lot of 'flashing eyes' in this draft. Need to fix.” Our fictional characters certainly do flash their eyes. They also roll them, grind their jaws, blink, sneer, grimace, and smile in varying degrees from crookedly to unabashed. They shrug, cross their arms, tremble, and shake their … [Read more...]