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Weekly Writer Wisdom: Ursula K. Le Guin’s National Book Award Acceptance Speech (November 28, 2017)

/ saraletourneau / 10 Comments

After learning that Ursula K. Le Guin, my all-time favorite author, had recently published a new book of essays, I was inspired to go back to her speech at the 2014 National Book Awards, where she was awarded the National Book Foundation’s Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. It’s so well crafted and full of truth about writing and publishing that I thought readers would enjoy it as well. Plus, at just under 6 minutes, it’s fairly short. Enjoy!

(Look for this week’s #WeeklyWriterWisdom questions after the jump.)

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Field Trip: Writer’s Digest Conference 2016

/ saraletourneau / 35 Comments

WDC2016 Banner

Now that all of the late-summer busyness has passed, I finally have some time to tell you about this year’s Writer’s Digest Conference! And what an amazing four days it was. In fact, I think it topped the 2015 edition!

With this post, I’ll give a general overview of WDC 2016, including which sessions I enjoyed most and what I learned. Last year I did a trio of posts for DIY MFA; and while I would have liked to have covered the conference for the site again this year, it wasn’t possible with my friend’s wedding 2 weeks later. The good thing is, waiting to do this post has given me time to digest (no pun intended) everything I absorbed that weekend and feel grateful for continuing to invest in my writing career.
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New DIY MFA Article on the “Why” Behind Our Writing

/ saraletourneau / 2 Comments

DiyMFA

I took a new direction with my latest Theme: A Story’s Soul post for DIY MFA. Instead of digging into the craft of literary themes, I explore how our unique passions, curiosities, and values often emerge as themes in our work. It’s more personal than usual – especially for me, since I also share what inspired the post and how I found the “why” behind my own WIP. But I hope this article starts a thoughtful discussion on how the things that matter to us become part of our stories.

Click here to read “The ‘Why’ Behind Our Writing.”

Got any questions or suggestions for Theme: A Story’s Soul? Feel free to comment below or tweet me at @SaraL_Writer with the hashtag #DIYMFA or #AStorysSoul.