TeachStreet is Closing

Articles by Doug Kurtz

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  How to Form a Writers Group

  November 06, 2009 by Doug Kurtz

  Birds of a feather flock together—unless they’re writers, in which case they tend to fly solo.  Solitude and independence are revered parts of the writing life, but pecking at the keyboard alone can eventually...

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  Get Centered for Writing

  November 06, 2009 by Doug Kurtz

  In writing, we can choose whether or not to begin in medias res—in the middle of things—but in life we’re there all the time, whether we like it or not.  Our personal stories, episodes and epiphanies are...

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  Making Time to Write, Part II

  November 06, 2009 by Doug Kurtz

  Mention the word “schedule” and it’s fight or flight for a lot of writers.  Structuring life to make room for writing is often perceived as contrary to the creative spirit, but most writers will tell you...

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  Making Time to Write, Part I

  November 06, 2009 by Doug Kurtz

  In the jungle of daily life, writing time is hard to find.  Best intentions flag in the heat, and rarely recover by morning.  You want to write, you have to write, but it’s just not happening and the guilt...

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  Powerful Questions

  November 06, 2009 by Doug Kurtz

  Ever been asked a question that stopped you dead in your tracks?  That hit a nerve and changed your outlook?  That challenged assumptions and set you on a new course? When it comes to communication...

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  Writing Intuitiely, Part III - Intuition Developed

  November 06, 2009 by Doug Kurtz

  Writers use intuition in all kinds of situations, from deciding what to write, to making plot decisions, to following creative urges that make no logical sense.  Intuition is always trying to lead us to...

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  Writing Intuitiely, Part II - Intuition Rationalized

  November 06, 2009 by Doug Kurtz

  In the novel I’m writing, fire images recur ad nauseum.  Boats burn, yards burn, dogs leap through flame, etc.  The repetition eventually caught my attention, and my rational mind recoiled.  Why so much...

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  Writing Intuitiely, Part I - Intuition defined

  November 06, 2009 by Doug Kurtz

  Right now, intuition is telling me to do something writers are taught never to do: open a piece with a dictionary definition.  My rational mind is screaming, Don’t do it!  But I’ve learned through experience...

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  Power Tools for Writers, Part II

  November 06, 2009 by Doug Kurtz

  Last summer, single-handedly and ill-equipped, I began to remodel my kitchen.  In a burst of novice enthusiasm, I sledged through studs and ripped up floors.  I hung drywall and knifed mud.  I tiled, grouted...

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  Power Tools for Writers, Part I

  November 06, 2009 by Doug Kurtz

  Whether you’re building a house or writing crime novels, it helps to have a good set of tools.  Handsaws are great for some jobs, but mitering roof beams with elbow grease is murder.  For the big stuff...

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