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The Last Supper (of Salmon and Storytelling)
Today was our last day of writing.This morning, we really focused on revising—learning some strategies and digging into our drafts. I’ve pretty much revised one chapter, just a little polishing left to do. One down – 82 to go! (I’m nor so good about cutting out unnecessary words!) At 11:30, we all piled into the…
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From Templar Stones to Irish Tunes: A Writer’s Day at Temple House
This morning’s writing session was slightly longer than yesterday’s and included a field trip! The focus today was on using setting and dialog to express emotion. After pulling on our “wellies” we trudged out to the side lawn of the the Temple House estate and explored the ruins of medieval castle associated with the Knights…
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A Writer’s Day Out: Syntax, Sligo, and Bill Murray
Today was an early start of writing. We had a quick workshop from 8:30 to 10 where we focused on improving our sentences—syntax, tone, rhythm, and all those good things that keep our readers engaged. Then at 10:30 we were on our way for an entire day of sightseeing! We started with a tour of…
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Writing, Whiskey, and the Hill of Witches
Today was the first full day of writing at the Family History Writing Studio Retreat in Sligo, Ireland. So far, we’ve been incredibly lucky with the weather. Yesterday, on our trip west, we stopped at the so-called Hill of Witches—actually a Neolithic cairn on Knocknarea. I had no clue what we were going to see…
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From Gilded Age Grifter to Aer Lingus Diva
I’m sitting at Gate 9 at Bradley International Airport in Connecticut, waiting to board a 6:05 p.m. plane to Dublin. The seats are filling fast. Uh oh. Does that mean some poor schmuck is going to get wedged between me and my husband? He likes the window. I like the aisle. (Seventy-year-old bladder. Two kids.)…
