Author Archives: Janice Airhart

What Now?

… after the last revision I’ve poured my energy and my passion into a memoir manuscript for the past two years—Subject to Change: What Teaching Teen Moms Taught Me. Some days, words tripped over themselves to beat other perfectly precise verbiage onto the laptop screen. Other days, words had to be forcibly pried from theContinue reading “What Now?”

Double Joy

According to a Swedish proverb, “Shared joy is double joy; shared sorrow is half a sorrow.” Many of us hold back from sharing sorrows for fear of wearing out our friends (who aren’t the best of friends in that case). But almost everyone—including me—loves sharing joyful news. I shared with anyone who would listen theContinue reading “Double Joy”

Dig Deep

Even memoirists need to do thorough research In my previous post, Respect the Truth, I shared one of the tips I presented last month to a group of nonfiction writers. I suggested the foremost consideration before beginning a writing project is understanding why you want to write it. It’s important to know who you wantContinue reading “Dig Deep”

Respect the Truth

I took part in a workshop called “How to Write a Nonfiction Book” last weekend, hosted by the San Gabriel Writers’ League, a writing group I belong to. Two other members and I were asked to share our writing journeys, including our failures and successes. Like many such judgements, we each define our own ideasContinue reading “Respect the Truth”

Things We Keep

My journaling habit first kicked into gear in the mid-90s. Julia Cameron, in The Artist’s Way, advised writing morning pages every day—three was the magic number. Mine were just scribbles, really. Three pages to clear my mind and maybe unclog creative impulses. Cameron gave me permission to write whatever I wanted without fear of exposure.Continue reading “Things We Keep”

An Act of Love

I celebrated growth in reading ability with a group of twenty-seven first through fifth graders last week, along with a dozen other Literacy Partners. May marks the end of my fourth year of reading with youngsters who have struggled to read at grade level, and my third year of helping to coordinate the program atContinue reading “An Act of Love”

Conflicted Interests

What is it about conflict that readers find so engaging? Every writing class, book, or instructor emphasizes the need for writers to introduce conflict in their stories. The sooner the better. Page one, paragraph one, if you can manage it. It should accompany the introduction of a sympathetic character. We need to care about theContinue reading “Conflicted Interests”

List of Joys

When life becomes stressful, we can overlook everyday pleasures. Because of a recent and ongoing difficult situation for me, I’m motivated to actively discover and cultivate a sense of joy. It’s the best antidote I know to prevent bitterness or despair. When it seems circumstances might suck all gladness from my heart, I become moreContinue reading “List of Joys”