MUSINGS ON LIFE AND WRITING WITH SARAH BUCKLEITNER
Writing is hard. All forms of it--scientific writing, creative writing, blogging. It requires that we synthesize our often muddied thoughts into clear, concise language. It means stamping our realities into letter shapes so that others can access our experiences. Which, when I think about it that way, is really stinkin' cool. But also not the point … Continue reading 5 tips for getting words on the page
A few days ago I picked up Thoreau's Walden. Mostly because it was on our shelf and I had yet to read it, but partially because he's kinda living my dream (you know, living in a cabin in the woods with lots of beans). Except he doesn't have a dog, or a snuggly man-creature--which are … Continue reading Some very serious thoughts about musty cheese
Sometimes it feels so good to slip into a small happy place that you've designed for yourself. You know what I mean, that unknown place in the future where you want to end up, or that point in the past that you desperately miss. The place that you think about when things aren't going well. … Continue reading To Dream or to Live?
Yesterday it warmed up to a balmy 20 degrees F and I decided to take advantage of the weather by going out for a run. My exercise opportunities have been slim lately--frost bite is very real here in Minnesota--so the chance to get out was highly exciting. I donned my Underarmor base layer, pulled on … Continue reading Snow Prints
You know that point when the trees have lost their leaves and you've got Thanksgiving pumpkin pie and warm scarves on the mind? That magical time when the first snow fall is something to be waited for with bated breath? Yup, well that period came and went. Here in Minnesota we're in the midst of … Continue reading The Keys to a Successful Hibernation
[Note: this is an old post, written in college while Jordan and I were dating. Do not be confused!] It is morning time, and even before I step outside of my room, I can smell fall. Fall makes me excited. It injects life into my bones with every crisp breeze, thought of apple orchards, and … Continue reading Fall(ing in love)
Being alone is footsteps on the sidewalk. Heavy, fast footsteps. Running. Thoughts that trail away behind you to explore the world as you pass it by, music bumping you forward as the beats strike your eardrum like your feet strike the ground. Being alone is ideas and emotions that bottle up throughout the day, at … Continue reading Being Alone
It is true, facilitative questions are not the same as "yes or no" questions. They are difficult to form. They require thought, and patience, and perfect poise and timing. They also require knowing exactly what is wrong with the essay, and how it can be fixed. This is hard, especially when you're reading the essay … Continue reading Facilitative Questions
Well, as requested, this conference was the conference of facilitative questions. First we each read our essays out loud-- or rather, I read mine out loud, and Bonnie read me the plan she'd written up. Then she practiced her finest questions on me-- things like "How do you plan to portray the layers of the … Continue reading Conference
During this second reading, I found myself focusing less on the over-arching issue and more on the details threaded throughout the text. The first one that struck me was the discussion of the role of the Mercedes in Palestinian culture. As someone whose home has always been a stable, uncontested thing, cars have only been … Continue reading The Mazda, The Mercedes
Feathery Thoughts 