We’ve all been there. You are about to release your book to the public, but instead of pure pleasure, you detect a familiar anxiousness—as if you’re a 3rd grader delivering a speech to squirming classmates. Writing is intensely personal. Exposing your words, thoughts, and life experiences in this in this public forum feels a little …
Writing the story of your life is a daunting task. You’ve had a million experiences with so much to say, so much to teach, so much to write. How is this writing task ever accomplished? I might just have the answer for you. My writing classes are all about writing vignettes (pronounced: vin-yets’). An old …
Lenny’s Perfume Gift: Writing the Stories of Your Life in Vignettes Read More »
We can’t stop talking about the inspiring speech Oprah Winfrey delivered as she accepted the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the 2018 Golden Globes. Powerful. Enchanting. Engaging. That’s what many are saying. But why? Forget politics for a moment (please!) and look at the elements that bring this electrifying speech to life. Even more importantly, …
Great movies reflect life, and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is no exception! This action packed movie is about a group of young people, literally, thrown into a jungle game, and in order to win, the players learn to work together. Each LEVEL of the game represents a frightening challenge in the quest to get …
Dear Storyteller, We just got back from the Whalen family reunion. Talk about a literal cacophony of WHALEN VOICES! Hundreds of stories were told, and yet there’s one story nobody in the family seems to remember but me. Imagine growing up on a farm near Harmony, a southeastern Minnesota town of 1000 people. It’s fun …
Is the Story You Tell Yourself Weighing You Down? Read More »
Dear Wonderful Woman, Women know friendship. I bet you have at least one special friend you run to whenever you need to process the world during times when life seems to be spinning out of control. It’s like a healing balm for gray days. It’s helpful to sit with a friend and a cup of coffee (or with a …
Dear Beauty, I’m writing to you from Harmony. Not harmony, the state of being, but Harmony the town in Minnesota. I wasn’t born here, but most memories of my youth took place within a fifty mile radius of this place. Last Friday night we watched the movie Sully at Jem Theater on Main Street. As …
