World Events and Writing
On the first day of my International Literature for Children and Young Adults course, the professor (after taking attendance and going over the syllabus) launched into the discussion. “By a raise of hands, how…
Library to Café: A Writer’s Workspace Migration
The librarian called my house when I was five to tattletale on me. Earlier that day, I was exploring the children’s section at the local library, listening to an audiocassette about counting in Spanish in…
The Writer and Non-Writing Careers: Pros and Cons
When I was a sophomore in college, I had absolutely no clue what career I wanted to pursue. I was determined to be a published writer and author (and still am), but I was starting…
Translating Italics
My recent pattern for breakfast has been a slice of whole-grain toast with peanut butter. As I was twist-tying the loaf, I found myself skimming over the nutrition facts instead of putting the loaf back…
Strategizing Your Writing with Sentences
When my dad offered to buy me an audio lecture from The Great Courses, I didn’t pass it up. I was surprised however by which lecture he had in mind: Building Great Sentences: Exploring the…
The Purpose of the Postcard
Two weeks ago, I submitted my application to a residential fellowship. I applied to this fellowship last year and was disheartened when I wasn’t accepted. While putting my materials together for this year’s applications,…
Blogging: Defining What and Why
I had a blog back in 2008 when blogs were still fairly new. It was for my writing capstone class at college and every student was assigned to write blogs analyzing our reading assignments with…
Writing in the 21st Century
My name is Kaitlyn and I’m a writer. Usually when I say this, silence enters the conversation. “You’re a journalist?” my stranger or family member will finally ask. “Not quite,” I say. “So you write…