What I Learned From...

For me, reading a personal essay, a memoir, a short story, or a novel is pure enjoyment. But when I read something that is so well-crafted I feel like I'm walking in the writer's shoes, something that is so carefully thought-out it challenges my cherished beliefs, something that is so beautiful it mesmerizes me with surprising metaphors and the music of language, I read the piece again and again to understand how ​ the author accomplished these things. And then I write, attending to passages in the piece to guide me as I work to improve my craft.
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This blog presents the short stories, novels, personal essays and memoirs that have become my essential guide to crafting my own personal essays and stories.