I've been taught to teach my students that revising is like “radical surgery” and it really can be, when you think about it. What many people don't like about writing or why they don't think they are good writers is that it is frustrating and difficult to get what we want to say onto paper … Continue reading Thoughts on Revision
writing
Soundtrack
Soundtrack by Melissa Morris There's a soundtrack of music from my life that plays in my mind, and in every song, from the beginning to end, with perfect pitch and clarity, you sing lead. “Soundtrack” was originally published in Feelings of The Heart, 2003 © Melissa Morris
Old Thoughts of You
Old Thoughts of You by Melissa Morris I'll pack up my old thoughts of you and store them in the bags I keep under my eyes, so that when I look out my window at the blankets of golden brown leaves, I will imagine that they were once angels' wings and that they could … Continue reading Old Thoughts of You
Submissions – Poems Niederngasse
Happy Friday, Everyone! I am sharing with you a new place I found to submit poetry. It is an online publication called Poems Niederngasse. They are an English language publication based in Switzerland. Their website is http://www.niederngasse.com/084_home.html. There are no deadlines for submissions. For submission information, click this link: http://www.niederngasse.com/Departments/submissions_info.html. I sent them a few … Continue reading Submissions – Poems Niederngasse
On This Night
On This Night by Melissa Morris On this night when searching has ceased and the pale light of the baby moon causes my lashes to fall along with my hopes, I agree to sleep. Blustery gusts of night time dust take a whimsical path to my window for a tap-tap-tap melodically rhythmic night cap. … Continue reading On This Night
There is no such thing as writer’s block!
My students hear me say all the time that, "There is no such thing as writer's block!" There is no excuse for not having something written after a period of freewriting or when a writing assignment is due. It may not be your best work, you may not want to share it, you may not … Continue reading There is no such thing as writer’s block!
Submissions
Very recently, I have decided to start submitting my writing for publication. I haven't submitted anything in at least 5 years! It can be a tedious and frustrating process, I know, but it is also wonderful to to know that something of yours has been accepted and will be published. It is all worth it. … Continue reading Submissions
Brackish
Brackish - Nicholas Sparks uses this word a lot. I think it appears at least once in each of his first several novels. And, I love that it does! When I first read it in The Notebook, I fell in love with it right away. It is used to describe water that is slightly salty, … Continue reading Brackish
Read Often!
When I've asked for advice on how to become a better writer, and searched for tips to teach my own students, the one thing that comes up all the time is that writers need to read, and read often! To some extent what we read isn't really as important as how much. We should simply … Continue reading Read Often!
“Write in your heart that every day…”
"Write in your heart that every day is the best day of the year." -Ralph Waldo Emerson I chose this quote because the words are simply beautiful to me. The notion that what is in our hearts can be written there, evokes a powerful feeling of hope - even on the darkest or gloomiest of … Continue reading “Write in your heart that every day…”
Melissa Morris Inoa🌱 