I run several mornings a week, but there is a point in the running process when I just don’t want to do it. Those moments of resistance taught me something important about another activity that is important to me—the discipline of writing. By the time I have been out on my morning run for about 15 minutes, I start to …
Forty-Seven Different Endings? Some Lessons from Hemingway about Revision
For the past several weeks my students and I have been immersed in the novels of Ernest Hemingway. I have had the pleasure of teaching a course on him and William Faulkner this semester. In most literature courses, we study only the final, published drafts of novels and other works of literature. That gives us the chance to enjoy the …
Five of the Eighteen Reasons I Write (by William J. Torgerson)
Editor’s Note: This post is the third in a series that features former students of mine who have become professional writers. I asked each of them to focus on the topic, “Why I Write.” Today’s post is by Bill Torgerson, whom I first met when he was one of my writing students at Olivet and who is now an award-winning screenwriter, …
Why I Write (by John Small)
Editor’s Note: This post is the second in a series that will feature former students of mine who have become professional writers. I asked each of them to focus on the topic, “Why I Write.” Today’s post features my friend and former student, John Small, whom I met during my early years of teaching at Olivet Nazarene University in the …
Thanks for “Pieces of Heaven” Birthday Book Launch!
Today is my birthday, and I wanted to take a moment out of our regularly scheduled blog content to thank my wife and friends for the birthday book launch they sponsored for my new book, Pieces of Heaven: Recognizing the Presence of God. They asked friends to help celebrate my birthday and the release of the book by doing one …
This is How I Know I’m a Writer (by Michael Clark)
Editor’s Note: This post by Michael Clark is the first in a series that will feature former students of mine who have become professional writers. I asked each of them to focus on the topic, “Why I Write.” Dr. Michael Clark has had an inspiring journey as a writer. He has worked professionally as a journalist, a high school English …
Is Literature Necessary? (Part 4) “Consumed by Story”
Note: This is the fourth in a series of posts that will consider the question: What does literature have to offer (if anything) that no other art form or media (such as video games, social media, movies, TV shows, etc.) can match? To view the first post in this series, scroll down or click here. To view the second post, scroll down or …
Is Literature Still Necessary? (Part 3) “Disrobing Its Allure”
Note: This is the third in a series of posts that will consider the question: What does literature have to offer (if anything) that no other art form or media (such as video games, social media, movies, TV shows, etc.) can match? To view the first post in this series, scroll down or click here. To view the second post, scroll down …
Is Literature Still Necessary? (Part 2) “Literary Labor”
Note: This is the second in a series of posts that will consider the question: What does literature have to offer (if anything) that no other art form or media (such as video games, social media, movies, TV shows, etc.) can match? To view the first post in this series, scroll down or click here. Literary Labor by Bethany Wagner, …
Is Literature Still Necessary?
Note: This is the first in a series of posts that will consider the question: What does literature have to offer (if anything) that no other art form or media (such as video games, social media, movies, TV shows, etc.) can match? This post will be followed next week by three responses from students at my university—two Honors students and …