MightyWriters

We somehow missed this column in the LA Times written just before the new year by our old friend (and former Philly guy) Steve Lopez. It’s about this girl named Susan who used to tell her little sister made up stories while giving her a bath. Susan grew to love telling her sister these stories, so much so that when she grew up she became a librarian and then wrote a kid’s book. Lopez and his daughter both discovered the book one day, and …

Oh here, just read it yourself.

It’s just one more reminder that there are so many better ways to spend time beyond updating your facebook status.

“Writing Real Life,” a series of workshops focusing on the invaluable nuts and bolts of writing, concluded this past Saturday with a happy surprise—a book for each student written and personally signed by their workshop leader, Ben Yagoda.

(Ben’s new book is titled “Memoir: A History,” Riverhead, $25.95.)

Among the many pointers Ben emphasized to MW students over a series of Saturday afternoon sessions:

• Real writers publish. (Get away from journal writing and submit your work.)

• Revise. (The best writing goes through a number of drafts.)

• Read stories that have been edited. (Read a lot, but choose carefully. Editors invariably make stories better.)

• Carry a pad and pencil with you at all times. (It’s important to jot down ideas immediately before you forget them.)

• Avoid clichés at all cost. (Go through your stories carefully and delete any easy metaphors or analogies.)