Page Text: Then I put the novel on the back burner (someone in a
critique group said I needed a vampire running alongside
the car in the opening scene) and devoted my time to a
narrative non-fiction account of a one-room school born
in a chicken coop in my great grandfather's cherry
orchard in 1927. Great Aunt Marion Parsons committed
her life to making the school one of the highest-ranked
in the country. My account of this unique story, The
Brass Bell, reveals why nearly 90 years later those
who are still here reminisced with me about Miss
Parsons and the red brick school that grew and grew.
To review the history of this unique project, check out
the blog. I look back fondly on every step of the
project.
How to Purchase The Brass Bell:
Send order to: Sahallie Publishing,
4126 SW Pendleton St., Portland, OR 97221
So much to write, edit, and read--so little time. For people
who say, "I want to write." I say: write. We are all writers and
if you do it on a regular basis, published or not, you know what
I'm talking about. A not-so-famous author, like most of us,
Mary Heaton Vorse , who wrote in the latter part of the 19th
century about politics and literature, who wrote fiction and
non-fiction during a time when women were supposed to be
doing domestic chores, is quoted as saying: "The art of writing
is applying the seat of the pants to the seat of the chair."
Well put. Writing is like playing a musical instrument, one must
practice every day. Once we find our voice, we learn some of the
rules and then we know enough about the art to break them
now and again. The result is a personal style. We write to make
sense out of the chaos, and when we get good enough at it others
want to read what we wrote. We are all writers because we go
through every day writing the manuscript of events and
our understanding of them in our minds, like ribbons of text
fluttering in the breeze of our existence.
My Writing Life
As an author—fiction and non-fiction—editor, writing and publishing coach, grant writer, historian, and artist,
I am a woman of many projects. I am forced to organize and prioritize my days. Writing comes first.
Ten years ago I retired from a full-time education career to focus on literary endeavors . The first thing I
did was write a memoir. Then I joined a critique group and someone said, "Why would anyone be interested in
your story?" I hadn't formed a thick skin yet (critical for any artist), so I put Growing up Nancy on the
back burner and wrote a novel based on the memoir. My back burner might look like
a messy closet to some, but it all makes sense to me. I suggest it's OK to pursue multiple urges and projects,
but do keep them organized and let one inform the other and in the end you can pull the bunny out of the hat.
Maybe you'll have an audience, maybe not; I can help.