Category Archives: Notes from Laurel Leigh

Chuckanut Writers Conference Update from Chasse Gunter

. About Town, Notes from Laurel Leigh .

Dear Writers:

Chasse Gunter, intern for this year’s Chuckanut Writers Conference, offered this guest blog to bring us up to date on conference details, so take it away, Chasse!

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cwcYou know that point in time when something is closer than it is far away ? That time has come! The Chuckanut Writers Conference is only 50 days away! There’s only one thing closer than the conference itself—the Early Bird Discount deadline. In all situations, the early bird gets the worm, but in your case, the early bird gets a whopping discount, too! That price is $229 and all you have to do is register before May 15th. Don’t mark your calendar; just go grab a spot right now. Continue reading →

Blissful

. Notes from Laurel Leigh .
 Dear Writers:
Work Left To Do

Work Left To Do ~ Bruneau ID, where I grew up, and a place I write about under the working heading “Gracie and Them.” I took this pic last summer.

I’ve rarely given my students writing prompts, so it’s been interesting for me to attend a writing practice where prompts are routinely used. When I receive prompts, often I get practical and bend them into a project I’m already working on.

One of the prompts was “blissful.” Since my stories tend to be darker, this time I decided to just play. Below is what I wrote, reinforcing for myself what I by this time know. Even if I don’t intend to, I find that all of my stories readily fall into a few categories: a) struggles of the working class, b) stories about small-town life, and c) men, or rather, all the men I never.

(If you clicked on that last link, yes, that’s me in the wedding dress. I still have that dress, which no longer fits sixteen years later, but neither did the groom and I grew out of him first.)

Continue reading →

The Zombie Method by SubtleKate

. Notes from Laurel Leigh . , , ,

Dear Writers:

April 15 looms for us all. Doing my taxes motivates me to write, sweep my floor, bite my nails, and look for blogs about zombies. Here’s one of the most clever and funniest writing practice prompts I’ve seen in a while. Gotta love it Down Under zombie-style! Many thanks to Kate for giving me a great reason to stop inputting tax data and work on a short story about a woman who really misses her ex-husband (a CPA, sigh), between March 15 and April 15. xo Laurel Leigh

The Zombie Method.

Write with Respect

. Notes from Laurel Leigh .

Dear Writers: I’m starting a campaign to reblog this post from Limebird Writers everywhere. It really needs to be on every blog around the world this morning. I read it and couldn’t stop laughing at the story title the kid used. Nope, I don’t have kids of my own, but I pick up a lot of poo from my beautiful dog, so I feel qualified to A) Relate and B) Comment. That said, there’s a wonderful teacher behind this post who handled a tricky situation with a lot of care and thoughtfulness. I reblogged this to Dogpatch Writers Collective and I guess I can’t double-reblog, so here’s the link to Limebird Writer’s post. Have a lovely day, everyone!

http://limebirdwriters.co.uk/2013/03/13/write-with-respect/

Play (Modified) Liebster Blog with Me: Questions for Your Character

. Notes from Laurel Leigh .

Dear Writers,

liebster-blog-awardThanks to Samir at Cecile’s Writers for nominating me for the Liebster Blog award! I love the blog world! I love Cecile’s Writer’s, too. They are that awesome group based in The Hague who wax dramatically and poetically and beautifully on all things writerly. Their blogs are truly thoughtful and inspiring, and I’m addicted to them. Continue reading →

Insider Scoop: 2013 Chuckanut Writers Conference

. Notes from Laurel Leigh . , , , , ,

cwcDear Writers:

This year’s Chuckanut Writers Conference is right around the corner! Guess what, I have a bunch of insider information to leak in advance of the website going live later this month. Please don’t tell a single person about this—instead, tell everyone you know! Because it’s gonna be another great conference with an awesome lineup of authors, and I can’t wait to see you there.

WHO’S COMING: Alice Acheson, Bruce Beasley, Jeff Bender, Wendy Call, Karen Finneyfrock, Waverly Fitzgerald, Kathleen Flenniken, , Thor Hanson, Gary Luke, Frances McCue, Suzanne Paola, Brenda Peterson, Naseem Rakha, Natalie Serber, Jennie Shortridge, Elizabeth Kracht, and Mr. Art of Racing in the Rain himself, Garth Stein. Continue reading →