[stylist] Welcome, Phyllis and something to ponder

[Bridgit Pollpeter]

Phyllis,

First, welcome to Stylist. Can you tell us a little about yourself? You
say that you just finished a novel; can you give us more info; what was
your experience like in writing a novel?

Stylist has a wide variety of members. Some write professionally, some
as a hobby and some just enjoy the discussion. We have nonfiction
writers, fiction writers, journalist and PR writers, poets, teachers;
some have studied writing in a formal academic setting while others have
self-studied the craft.

We attempt to spark discussions about writing and anything related to
the subject. We post writing exercises to be posted here for
constructive feedback along with posting something we are working on for
feedback and we in general keep everyone updated on our writing
experiences.

My name is Bridgit. I'm from Omaha, Nebraska. I have my BFA in creative
writing with an emphasis in creative nonfiction. I admire your ability
to write an entire mystery novel. For an extra credit at university, I
took a Detective Fiction writing class in which we had to write our own
short mystery. I wrote about a blind man trying to discover how his
grandfather died. This was the first time I wrote a blind character, and
it was challenging as I didn't lose my vision until I was 22. Despite
being blind for 10 years, I am still an extremely visual person, grin! I
live with my husband and our new four-month-old son, Declan, and our
three-year-old niece, Penny, is with us part-time. I write a blog for
the Omaha World Herald's website Live Well Nebraska and I edit Slate &
Style, the NFB Writers' division magazine. I've had a few pieces
published in various publications.

Second, I don't believe Thoreau means you must literally experience
something in order to write about it, but rather he means we must go out
and participate in the world. Seek opportunities, meet people, enjoy
life, discover new ideas and interests. I think his point is that as a
writer, and really a human, in order to bring depth to your work, you
must have moved beyond your own front door, and mindset, and learned new
things. It's about being a well-rounded person.

Sincerely,
Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter, editor, Slate & Style
Read my blog at:
http://blogs.livewellnebraska.com/author/bpollpeter/
 
"If we discover a desire within us that nothing in this world can
satisfy, we should begin to wonder if perhaps we were created for
another world."
C. S. Lewis

Message: 3
Date: Sun, 09 Dec 2012 17:24:47 -0500
From: "P. Campbell" <pcampbell16 at verizon.net>
To: "Writer's Division Mailing List" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [stylist] Something to ponder
Message-ID: <0A1F368D85584115AAA2167B1F6B25B9 at phyllispc>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=iso-8859-1;
	reply-type=response

Hello all!  I'm a new member, and looking forward to the list.

In considering this statement, I wonder exactly what he means by "stand
up." 
Does he mean that we must experience everything we write?  I fervently
hope 
not!  I just released a murder mystery.  I do feel that we must be
willing 
and, yes, able, to move into our subject in imagination and emotion.

Again, I'm looking forward to being a part of the division and the list.

Phyllis Campbell