Author Archives: jayne bowers

About jayne bowers

*married with children, stepchildren, grandchildren, in-laws, ex-laws, and a host of other family members and fabulous friends *semi-retired psychology instructor at two community colleges *writer

Plenty o Tomorrows

Posted on April 8, 2019

  I’ve been doing a lot more reading than writing lately–pretty much all nonfiction. Not that I don’t enjoy fiction, but well, as the saying goes, “It is what it is.” As I sit here pounding out some words, I’m … Continue reading →

Posted in books, fiction, nonficion, readng, Suffering, Uncategorized, words, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Blue Spiral Notebook

Posted on April 6, 2019

The writers I hang out with don’t write for money. Sure, they’d take it if offered, but that’s not their primary reason for putting pen to paper, fingers to keyboard. They do it because they must. They have a story … Continue reading →

Posted in families, journal writing, nonfiction, story telling, Uncategorized, writing, writing tips | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Don’t Mess with Beatrice

Posted on April 1, 2019

This morning I read a supremely superb nonfiction essay titled “Mourning my Grandfather Through the Velveteen Rabbit” in an online publication, lithub.com.  Originally published April 11, 2017 and written by Sarah Gerard, it was undoubtedly the best article I’ve ever … Continue reading →

Posted in books, families, family histories, nonficion, story telling, Uncategorized, writing | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Well, Alrighty Then

Posted on March 14, 2019

I love teaching, I really do. I should be retired by now, and for the most part I am. I teach two online classes but don’t show up at 8:00 ready to “rock and roll.” Nor do have committee work, … Continue reading →

Posted in anthologies, Benjamin Dreyer, books, books on writing, editing, readng, Uncategorized, writing, writing groups | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Hard Writing = Easy Reading

Posted on March 1, 2019

  Writers need to be a bit tough-skinned if they want to improve their poetry and prose.   It’s the only way I know to have a tight, well-developed story or article that’s smooth, correctly punctuated, interesting, and easy reading. Someone* … Continue reading →

Posted in Benjamin Dreyer, books, Camden Writers, critique groups, editing, Uncategorized, writing, writing groups | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Exclamation Points & Oxford Commas

Posted on February 23, 2019

Intrigued by a friend’s comments about her personal use of the exclamation point, I clicked the link she had posted a to a New York Times’ article about Dreyer’s English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style. That title! … Continue reading →

Posted in Benjamin Dreyer, books, books on writing, editing, nonficion, Uncategorized, words, writing | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

“Hmmph. That’s Crazy.”

Posted on February 14, 2019

A thirteen-year-old girl who’s having a spinal tap screams out, “It hurts, I’m hungry.” When I began my most recent post a couple of days ago, my intention was to write about the above prompt, something I’d scribbled in a … Continue reading →

Posted in books, nonfiction, readng, tracy kidder, Uncategorized, Using Prompts, writing | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Using Prompts

Posted on February 9, 2019

  You just never know what you’ll learn as part of a writing group. One morning about ten of us gathered for a morning meeting in a dance studio. Classes wouldn’t begin until after lunch, and we soon relaxed and … Continue reading →

Posted in critique groups, flash fiction, photo prompts, Uncategorized, writing, writing prompts, writing workshops | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

But I Like Bailiwick

Posted on February 5, 2019

Before joining a writing group, I never read to actually study the craft. I read to understand, to learn, and to be enlightened and entertained. Not once did I consider whether an author used adverbs sparingly, overdid it with to … Continue reading →

Posted in Camden Writers, critique groups, Uncategorized, workshops, writing, writing conferences, writing groups, writing tips | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Scurry is the Word

Posted on February 1, 2019

I haven’t thought of John Donne in months, maybe years, but every once in a while, I’ll remember, “No man is an island, entire of itself,” and think of how fortunate I am to be a member of a critique … Continue reading →

Posted in Camden Writers, critique groups, story telling, Uncategorized, words, writing, writing groups | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment