Linda K Sienkiewicz

Writing life, line by line

English Language Groaners

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In Memory of a Cornball My late father was great at telling corny jokes. And yes, I groaned, but I often laughed too, just because he was laughing so hard. Lousy jokes and laughter can be infectious like that. I miss hearing him now. I'm sure he'd get a big laugh out of these groaners. I hope you do too. 1. The meaning of opaque is unclear. 2. I wasn’t going to get a brain transplant … [Read more...]

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...]