Notes on Craft

Don’t Write Alone | Notes on Craft
Who Is Steven Hotdog? Or, Untangling the “Braided Essay”

A personal essay of the Steven Hotdog form needs the interior experience, the exterior fact, and the meaning that connects them—in order to work its magic.

Mar 30, 2022
Don’t Write Alone | Notes on Craft
On the Limits and Possibilities of the Sentence

After another breath, I return to the sentence “This is because that is.”

Mar 29, 2022
Don’t Write Alone | Notes on Craft
I Couldn’t Stop Updating My Memoir

Writing a memoir is a process of curation. But I kept wanting mine to reflect my up-to-the-moment present.

Feb 17, 2022
Don’t Write Alone | Notes on Craft
The Anxiety of Exclamation Points

My exclamation points are part of a decades-long project to be as truthful as possible to my lived experience as a child of immigrants.

Feb 2, 2022
Don’t Write Alone | Notes on Craft
Teaching Freshman Comp Was the Best Writing Education I Ever Got

As part of our Education Week series, Jaime Green describes how teaching the fundamentals in undergrad writing comp made her a better writer.

Jan 24, 2022
Don’t Write Alone | Notes on Craft
Lessons from the Paintbrush to the Pen

I discovered that storytelling is also just as much science as art.

Dec 22, 2021
Don’t Write Alone | Notes on Craft
Why We Should Translate Literature About Trauma

Translating trauma and violence is not just about deciphering pain but also about recreating an emotional language that helps us to understand each other better.

Dec 16, 2021
Don’t Write Alone | Notes on Craft
What You May Never Find During the Research Process

What happens to your writing project if you are unable to find a particular source? Adin Dobkin shares two options: either you carry on or decide the project is valueless without it.

Dec 15, 2021
Don’t Write Alone | Notes on Craft
The Working Metaphors of Novel Writing

Ingrid Rojas Conteras speaks to Naima Coster, Alexandra Kleeman, R. O. Kwon, Laura van den Berg, and Bryan Washington about the language they use to describe writing novels.

Dec 14, 2021
Don’t Write Alone | Notes on Craft
Bringing Acting Technique to Exploratory Writing

When beginning a new written work, apply acting exercises to explore the intent, sensory experiences, and focus of your writing.

Dec 2, 2021