All posts by Nan Lundeen

nan lundeen, non-fiction, staff's contributions

honoring our mentors

Eternity by Nan Lundeen
Eternity by Nan Lundeen

Who is your mentor? Message me on Facebook or contact us through the “contact us” link on this site to let me know if you’d like to share thoughts about your mentor on MooingAround.

Jenny Munro honors her mother in her poem, “the typist.” I love how Jenny uses sound—the tap, tap, tap of her mother’s typewriter. Jenny draws a word portrait of her—”Concentrating, with her tongue caught between her teeth,” and shares a few things she learned from observing her role model.

My mentor, Sylvia Barclay, whom I knew in the 1970s in Muskegon, Michigan, generously shared writing wisdom. Whenever I asked how I could repay her she would say, “Pass it on.” That’s what I aim to do with my handbook, Moo of Writing. I was in Muskegon’s library on a hot July day when the sky turned dark. Solar eclipse. I discovered, Sylvia had passed away about the time of the eclipse, which her students found appropriate. A day or two later, I took a yoga class and meditated for the first time. Sylvia stood in my mind’s eye, her mouth pursed in a familiar expression under one of her offbeat hats. Oh, an opportunity to learn what was on the other side. “What’s it like there?” I asked. “Love is all you need to know for now, Nan.” I thought she meant I’d learn more about the afterlife in this lifetime. Hasn’t happened yet. What a gift she gave me. Love really is all I need to know.

 

nan lundeen, staff's contributions

hot first lines

Contemplating great first lines of literature
Contemplating great first lines of literature.
Photo by Nan Lundeen

Hey! Grab me by the throat and throw me down. Is that an irresistible first line? Again and again we have read writing advice that the first line must grab the reader. But how? Click “what makes a grabby first line?” to gather a few tips. You make us happy when you register and comment on our site because we’re all about building a creative community. Please join us. Welcome!

nan lundeen, non-fiction, staff's contributions

memorable rejections

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After five years of continual rejections, Agatha Christie lands a publishing deal. Her sales now number $2 billion. Only Shakespeare has sold more.

J.K. Rowling’s literary agent receives 12 publishing rejections before the eight-year-old daughter of a Bloomsbury editor demands to read the rest of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. The editor agrees to publish it but advises the writer to get a day job.

“Too different from other juveniles on the market to warrant its selling”—rejection sent to Dr. Seuss.

“Anthologies don’t sell was the gist of 140 rejections sent to authors of Chicken Soup for the Soul, which sold 125 million copies.

“I recommend that it be buried under a stone for a thousand years,” was advice given to Vladimir Nabokov whose Lolita has sold 50 million copies.

“The girl doesn’t, it seems to me, have a special perception or feeling which would lift that book above the ‘curiosity’ level,” reads a rejection of The Diary of Anne Frank.

All of these stories and more are found at literaryrejections.com. The site is a fun read.

I like author May Sarton’s advice to writers: “Hold on, trust your talent, and work hard.”

Here’s another quote, this one from 64-year-old Diana Nyad who conquered the 110-mile swim from Cuba to Florida on her fifth attempt: “We should never, ever give up.”

And a Nyad quote for those of us still writing after “all these years,” –”You never are too old to chase your dreams.”

Nyad said that swimming “looks like a solitary sport, but it’s a team.”

You could say the same about writing. Writing buddies are invaluable, especially when the rejections roll in. Believe in yourselves, writing buddies. We believe in you.

How do you handle rejections? Please register on the site so that you can comment below. If you have trouble registering, please contact us. Thanks and happy writing!

 

nan lundeen, staff's contributions

writing wild

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Rose by Ron DeKett
Rose by Ron DeKett

Are you a wild rose kind of writer? Or would your rose take first place at a flower show? If you’re lucky, you’re both. I tend toward the wild side of writing, at least in my dreams. And yet, I spend countless hours ensconced in my comfortable writing room chair—the one covered with the star quilt Gram made me when I was a kid in Iowa—rewriting and perfecting manuscripts. The thing is, perfection is more of a dream (read impossible) than choosing the wild rose way. What do you think? Click here to read “Call of the Wild Rose” and comment, if you so choose. I’d love to read your thoughts.

nan lundeen, non-fiction, staff's contributions

on being bipolar

“My So-Called Crazy Life” will capture your heart and set you to thinking about how our society treats people who suffer from mental illness. Traci Barr puts you right into the shoes of a person with a bipolar diagnosis. Her essay is real because she was diagnosed with the illness 36 years ago. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Greenville Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. (NAMI). Please “like” and “share” her work and register on our site if you would like to comment. Ms. Barr deserves to be heard.

nan lundeen, non-fiction, staff's contributions

a sip from the milk jug

What is Moo of Writing? It’s a method of beckoning the muse that works. Best of all, new scientific research confirms connections between relaxation and creativity. Topics for a handbook, Moo of Writing: How to Milk your Potential, burst into my consciousness years ago on a road trip. I created a first draft, and my sister-in-law Cynthia Morgan DeKett drew delightful cartoon cows to illustrate the concept. Now that I’ve retired from a job as a newspaper reporter, I’ve completed the manuscript and am looking for an agent and publisher. Meanwhile, writers who’ve read the manuscript and thoughtfully advised me on improvements, also have been clamoring for it in their hands. I hope you find this article on a few of its concepts helpful to your writing practice. Please register on our site if you haven’t already and comment in the space at the end of the article. Please share how you use relaxation to tap into creativity. Would you like to see the 100-page handbook in print? Thank you and happy writing! Here it is: what is moo of writing?

nan lundeen, non-fiction, staff's contributions

words of a wise woman

We bring to you today poems by JD, a retired Montessori teacher, a great-grandmother, and an elder whose wisdom I respect. This is the first time JD has shared her poems with the public. She writes of making words and of making bread and of God roaring in the morning, Ever a strong woman, JD writes of Lilith. In one Biblical account of creation, God creates men and women at the same time. Jewish legend names her Lilith who demanded equality with Adam. For those interested in Lilith, I recommend The Lilith Question. JD tells me she would love to see your comments on her work, so please register with our site if you haven’t yet, and comment. Here are links to her poems: november 26, 2012, july, after reading annie dillard, lilith.

nan lundeen, staff's contributions

a secret to good writing

four ducks in a row by Ron DeKett
four ducks in a row by Ron DeKett

If you want to be inspired on a daily basis, marry a photographer, or at least hang out with one. You’ll get lots of practice truly observing what’s in front of you (and behind you and all around you). Because that’s what photographers do. And hanging out with a photographer provides plenty of time for contemplation (while they are sliding down into a bog to shoot a lovely little green snake and you are sitting on a footbridge, or they are setting up a tripod to shoot Joe Pye Weed and then waiting, waiting, waiting for a lull in the breeze so the photo will be in focus, or they are standing by Lake Placid at Greenville’s beautiful Paris Mountain State Park while you count the ducks). I hope you enjoy Ron DeKett’s photo of a yellow swallowtail and my poem, born of contemplating time, “Dance of the Swallowtails.” Please register on our site if you haven’t already and comment—when do you find contemplation time? Happy writing!

nan lundeen, non-fiction, staff's contributions

the nature of writing

Where does your Muse like to hang out? Mine relishes nature. My husband Ron and I hiked around Lake Placid at Paris Mountain State Park, Greenville, SC, yesterday. It was one of those rare late summer days when the light already has dipped its angle and a nip in the air whets the taste buds for fall. A waterfall glimpsed through leaves charmed my Muse. This morning, she surprised me with a love poem. I first thought the poem was going to be about falling water and taking care of our beloved Earth—something like, “We are all falling water.” But when a person fills your heart to the brim, you just gotta write a love poem! I love you, Ron. Here it is with the image that beckoned my Muse: “the wheel turns.” Please comment below to share where you most often find your Muse. Happy writing!
nan lundeen, staff's contributions

hello, groundhog

For my health and for my writing practice, I walk a mile at an outdoor track five days a week. I greet a triangular-shaped pecan tree at one end of the track. “Good morning, tree.” Pink and blue morning glories peek through the fence. They wend their way into a haiku. One day this week, I am startled to see brown fur on short legs scampering through the grass. The fellow ducked under a storm drain cover and peered at me. It seems he wanted to be in a poem, too. Click here to read “Groundhog Day in August.” Please register at the top, right-hand side of this page if you haven’t already. We promise not to share your email address. Happy writing!
nan lundeen, staff's contributions

poetry in the park

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Middle Tyger Library, Lyman, SC, by Ron DeKett
Middle Tyger Library, Lyman, SC, by Ron DeKett
Here are the promised poems created by extraordinary ordinary people during the Poetry in the Park class I led in July at the Middle Tyger Library in Lyman, SC. Participant Marjorie Garrett wrote after the class, “I was quite impressed with what each person managed to write in such a short time.” I agree, Marjorie! After I told my husband, Ron DeKett, about the poems, he photographed some scenes in the park, which I’ve included with the poems. Click on the link after each poet’s name to read wonderful, spur-of-the-moment creations. Marjorie Garrett, “Whitewater by the Mill,” M.M. Griffin, “River Watching,” Mary Ellen Lives, “The Sign Says,” K.G. McAbee, “Dam,” and Chris Thackston, “Odd Number.” Please register with MooingAround.com at the top of the home page and comment, if you like. We promise not to share your email addresses. Thank you to all who already have registered. You are helping us build a creative community.
nan lundeen, staff's contributions

a conversation in a bar

standing cowIt’s a joy to bring you a second short story by the talented Mary Ellen Lives. She turns her gaze on a lifetime relationship squirming under the microscope of the Vietnam War. Come sit on a bar stool at the local VFW and listen in on a revealing conversation between Bulldog, Johnnie, and a stranger. Please register on our site so that you can comment. We’d love to hear your feedback, and we promise not to share your email address with anyone. Click here: “The Day He Lied.”
nan lundeen

extraordinary ordinary people

grazing laying down cowExtraordinary ordinary people let their talent shine this morning during the Poetry in the Park class I led at the Middle Tyger Library in Lyman, SC. We spent the first hour of the class talking about poetry and the second half, writing poetry. Participants walked outside to mosey about in the wooded park on a busy, rumbling river—the library’s setting. There they observed and mused and “found” poems they came back to class and shared. They blew me away! Every one of the six participants wrote a meaningful poem very much worth sharing. I’ve invited them to submit their Poetry in the Park poems to mooingaround.com. I hope we’ll be able to share them here soon.
nan lundeen, staff's contributions

a magical tree

Sit with me on a rock beside the Pacolet, a sparkling North Carolina mountain stream rippling along under a summer solstice sun. We wait for my husband, Ron DeKett, who has set up his tripod and applies his artistic eye to photograph a moment of beauty. Sit still and look. Do you see it? Across the stream, a single tiny tree rises from a mossy block. Click to see Ron’s photo and read my poem, “Summer Solstice Tree.”

nan lundeen

the weight of mercy crackles with honesty

If you want a captivating read, settle in with Deb Richardson-Moore’s book, The Weight of Mercy: A Novice Pastor on the City Streets. This book and Deb’s work deserve many accolades, but as a writer, I want to praise the quality of her writing. It’s honest, thought-provoking, and mesmerizing. Who would have thought a memoir about a pastor’s first three years working with the homeless, the addicted, the disadvantaged—about a pastor who tramps under bridges and climbs through holes in walls to reach our neighbors where they subsist—would be a page-turner. Well, it is! You can buy it in the Greenville, SC, area at Fiction Addiction, Triune Mercy Center, 10,000 Villages, Gage’s, The Cafe at Williams Hardware, Mr. K’s and other local outlets. Or you can order it on Amazon.

Click here to read the prologue and an excerpt from the first chapter of the weight of mercy.