Guest post by Nathalie Bléser, part three in a series of 5At Jennifer’s Monday Writing Session, you are first invited to listen to the seven rules. Rule number seven is that there are no rules. Also, we are allowed seven minutes to write stories. Maybe that’s why the vintage mirror in her space took me back to a time when I was seven years old? Out of the blue, I am … Read more
Author and intuitive writing coach, Chloe Rachel Gallaway, is the founder of The Winged River Writer and author of The Soulful Child: Twelve Years in the Wilderness, a memoir of her childhood through age twelve in the wilderness of Northern New Mexico. Chloe’s unusual life of growing up deeply connected to nature and spirit has led her to a unique process of intuitively connecting to writing. The writing of this … Read more
Guest post by Nathalie Bléser, part two in a series of 5 So let’s build the set. It’s Monday evening. Tonight the veil between worlds, between vivitos y muertitos (the living and the dead), is the thinnest. Magic already happens in the number of writers around the table: only three women have gathered in Jennifer’s casita for a “spooky session” of Monday Writers. You do remember that Mon-day comes from … Read more
Green-Eyed In the age of social media, it’s easy to look at other people’s curated lives of sunny vacations, spousal outpourings of devotion, and Pinterest-perfect desserts, and feel a little tug of jealousy. But what about when it comes to other people’s presentation of their accomplishments and habits in the realm of writing? It’s another side of the same coin, yet it can be disastrous on a whole other level. … Read more
Guest post by Nathalie Bléser, part one in a series of 5 I recently put out a call for submissions to our website, and Nathalie Bléser quickly volunteered. I used to host regular drop-in writing session called Monday Writers and Nathalie attended on occasion, a delightful addition to our group. ~Jennifer Simpson “From the Moon Navel came Malina, Mi Luz y Mi Luna”. A Tribute to the Beautiful Sessions of … Read more
Revising, Please! I am one of those people who enjoys revising more than the initial writing of the thing. Maybe a blinking cursor on blank page fills you with excitement and possibility, but beginnings tend to fill me with dread. Give me a mangy, long, stumbling piece of writing and I will lovingly tend to it (and by “lovingly”, I mean ruthlessly cutting it up and seeing what I can … Read more
I met Nathalie a few years ago at the Taos Summer Writers’ Conference (now, sadly, defunct). We weren’t in a workshop together, but the conference was known for it’s friendliness, and the camaraderie not only among the participants but with the faculty as well. (I mean I got to hang out with Wally Lamb!) I’d attended the conference both as a participant, then as an intern when I came to … Read more
I met Sarah when I was in grad school and she was an undergrad at The University of New Mexico. My department had just started a creative writing mentorship program and I was assigned to mentor Sarah. I still have a vivid memory of this tall, bubbly, beautiful young woman coming up to me at the café where we had our first meeting. I knew right then we were going … Read more
When trying to find a home for your writing (if that’s one of your goals), sometimes it can feel a little overwhelming combing through the internet (or books! Remember books with places to submit? If those still exist, I’m sure it’s hard to keep them up to date!). We here at Plume have decided that because we love you and want to help support your work, we’re going to post … Read more
Randi Beck Ocena was born and raised in Oklahoma where she divided her time between bookstores and horse barns. Her love of art, writing, and a particular passage by Natalie Goldberg took her to New Mexico where she lived for 10 years, earned a bachelor’s degree in English and Philosophy, painted a few murals, and met Natalie Goldberg once for about 23 minutes. Her work has been published in The … Read more
Mother’s Day is always hard for me: My mother died when I was 13. Over the years it has gotten easier– partly because I’ve had so many more years without her than with her, and partly because writing has helped me. (also therapy and my time facilitating groups at the Children’s Grief Center). Grief doesn’t go away but it does change over time. I’ve written a lot about my mom, … Read more
Do you ever get stuck in your writing? Or have the feeling your life is too boring to inspire your creativity? I think we’ve all been there, but much like the dreaded writer’s block, I don’t think we should let these negative ideas get too comfortable sticking around. We all have our off moments, but what if we just told our lingering doubts about our words to piss off? Shake … Read more