My adult ESL class is reading The Great Gatsby. I teach the advanced reading class and the goal of the class is to prepare the students for university. I also assign essays related to Gatsby, articles about the American dream and the like. Students in past classes enjoyed the novel. Some students even liked the …
Some friends may think this is aimed at them. It isn't. They may have inspired me, but that's not the same thing. When was the last time you changed your mind? I don't mean you decided not to have your usual Monday breakfast. I mean, you changed your mind about the death penalty, abortion, climate …
Recently I wrote about Star Trek's place in my life. But I first fell for Star Trek as a child. Some loves came into my life later. Twin Peaks premiered after I'd moved to Ohio for grad school. I'd made a few friends at Kent, but I felt alone and out of my depth in …
On Fridays I sit in the infusion room and get my chemo cocktail. You'd think, stuck in a cushy chair attached to tubes that I could use that time to write something interesting. I sit here for about four hours. Surely I could do something useful. Most of the time though my mind wanders and …
What story changed your life? Maybe that's too dramatic? Well, what story shaped or moved your opinions one way another? My parents didn't tell me often how or what to think. "It's up to you," they said. How did my mother vote? I don't know. She wouldn't tell me. "You have to decide for yourself," …
I'm finally getting my site the way I want. I've added a few short stories, and I plan to add a few more things here and there over the next few days. Thanks as always for coming by!
When I was a kid (and for many years after), I would've said my biggest fear was spiders. As a teenager I'd lock myself in a room if that's what it took to get away from a spider. Spiders still cause me breathing trouble. When I started sending my writing out into the world, I …
Wow. My publisher has finished the cover of my novel. After writing, submitting, and waiting, it is hard to believe my novel is actually going to be out in the world. Not out because I handed a copy to a friend, but out for anyone to read. My novel is leaving me. We'll see …
***My publisher, Plum Tree Books, launches a book of poetry today. Love poetry, support poets, and help small publishers! ***
Today, I read this article--Why Stephen King Spends 'Months and Even Years' Writing Opening Sentences. Of course, then I thought about the opening sentences of my novels and short stories. Some of them I have written over and over again, and the longer the story stays with me, the more I stare at its first …
Marta Bacon 