Nancy Hatch Woodward has
been a freelance writer for over 15 years and has published over 650
articles (the vast majority in national publications). She is
the co-author of Eldercare: Caring for Your Aging Parents
(National Institute of Business Management 2002). In addition,
she has published short stories, poetry, and essays in a number of
publications. Nancy hs taught creative writing through
Chattanooga State Community college, college writing at the
University of Tennessee Chattanooga, and business writing for
corporations such as BlueCrossBlueShield of Tennessee. Nancy is also the founder of ChattaRosa, a writing and critiquing group for women.
To find out more about Nancy FOLLOW HERE
Articles by this Author
A lot of new writers
believe that as long as they are writing fiction, they really don’t
need to do any research. And while, on first blush, that may seem to
be the case, experienced writers know that almost any story they
write will require research. The main reason? To make their writing
resonate with readers by being authentic.
Your job is to frequently
surprise you readers with the words you use and their juxtaposition.
I think poetry may be our best ally for connecting with the earth, with our roots, with our spiritual nature. Mystics for generations have used poetry as a way to convey their oneness with everything – a state of being that all say is so very hard to describe. We don’t have to have undergone an enlightenment experience, however, to struggle with how to put into words the wonderment, the awe, we feel about our lives and this world.
It’s still poetry month,
which got me thinking about how most of us were first introduced to
poetry – it could have been Mother Goose rhymes or Dr. Suess. But
perhaps the real rite of passage into poetry came when we were in
grammar school and had to memorize a poem. It’s still a wonderful
idea even as we get older
We talk a lot about narrators in our prose, but did you know your poem has a narrator as well? While perhaps hidden, someone is the speaker behind the poem. Who is it? What is her/his mood? How does he/she speak?
Metrophobia is the fear of poetry. Many people believe poetry is only for extraordinarily gifted writers, for special occasions, for the intellectuals. But poetry is about life, about our daily existence – how we love, die, grieve, celebrate, and find meaning.
