And

And by Melissa Morris   At night he dreams in Poetry and technicolored imagery, and he doesn't exist any more, and he doesn't exist again, and he doesn't exist from the moment when they laughed at him and said they wouldn't be his friend, and he dreams alone, and he dreams out loud, and he … Continue reading And

Thoughts on Revision

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

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!