Grammar

Shall we take a short deviation from grammar? NO. There are some folks who think grammar is unnecessary and stifling. I’ll tell you (IMHO) that it is as important as ever.

Fluency

When we ask too much of the reader, they revert to word calling or parsing at best. At worst, they focus so intently on each syllable or phonetic sound that they are taken completely outside the text. Don’t send your reader away!

Exercise

Punctuation, creative ideas, chronological writing, detailed writing, concise writing (paring it down with repeated removal of extraneous words), and other exercises make us a more balanced writer.

Darkness

A piece would be boring and unfulfilling without some sort of chiaroscuro (light vs dark) to bring out the characters, the story line, and our own investment in reading.

Cycles

We’ve lost momentum and really don’t know where to pick it up again. I’ve been in that mode. While at times we do need to step away and let our subconscious work, don’t get stuck.

Beginning

Sharing your ideas will evolve out of your introspection. Simply having an idea or opinion is not enough to expound to others. What is the point?

#1: An introduction

I offer this post as a sort of intention-setting moment, as I believe what I intend to do here is more noteworthy than who I am. I come to this position of writer-in-residence with an interest in engaging more deeply, both with myself and with this place I call home, Racine. I come with the…

OBSERVATIONS #20 – 12.31.24

Change is Coming – Details To Be Announced To the January-June, 2025 Racine Writer-in-Residence Grantee #18 – Congratulations! Best Wishes to our new WIR program coordinator! Formal announcements will be made shortly. In the meantime, Thank You, Nick Ramsey/Art Root coordinator, 2017-2024, for your outstanding leadership and diligence in organizing the program. Nick’s hands on…

OBSERVATIONS INVITATION – 12.1.24

YOU ARE INVITED: “Follow winter’s light to a community gathering of thinkers and talkers, makers and do-ers.” ( Mimi Peterson planning the upcoming Solstice Celebration.) WHERE: Vintage and Modern Books, 415 6th St. , Racine, Wisconsin, 53403 QUESTIONS: Adam: 872/235.3753 WHEN: 3 – 7 P.M. on Friday, December 6, 2024 WHO: Mimi Peterson, Racine Writer-in-Residence,…

OBSERVATIONS #16 – 11.23.24

The sunlight is loud, It’s noise breaks the silence, Like a comforting blanket, Surrounds me, you, us, With both narrow and broad streams of brilliant sounds, Soon turn into murmurous shadows, At once dark and transparent, Casting familiar silhouettes, Meant to share secrets. Sharp lines separate sunlight from it’s absence, In my space, geometry’s triangular…