by Amy Paturel | Jul 17, 2019 | Uncategorized
LEARN ABOUT MY SUMMER ALUMNI COURSE It’s About Character If you’ve taken one of my classes, you know I view character development as a critical component of crafting a powerful essay. If the reader doesn’t care about the “who” in your story,...
by Amy Paturel | Jun 13, 2019 | Uncategorized
If you’ve taken my class, you know Judi Ketteler. I’m a huge fan of her essays and I often cite them as examples in my classes. I also highly recommend subscribing to her Story Economy Blog for a treasure trove of information related to crafting compelling stories....
by Amy Paturel | Apr 16, 2019 | Uncategorized
Four years ago, I spent almost the entire month of April in the hospital. My youngest son, Jack, was diagnosed with something called a double aortic arch. I had no idea what that meant at the time. The doctor gave me a scientifically solid, drawn out speech. He even...
by Amy Paturel | Mar 14, 2019 | Uncategorized
When I tell people I’m a writer, I often get some variation of, “you’re so lucky,” “what a great gig,” “you must be really talented to make it as a writer.” The truth: I don’t think luck has much to do with it – or even talent. It’s hard work. Ever since I was a...
by Amy Paturel | Feb 5, 2019 | Uncategorized
Last July, I read Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic. Within the first few pages, she describes a creative life and references her friend, Susan, who went back to ice skating at age 40. Like me, Susan was a competitive figure skater when she was a teenager. My heart...
by Amy Paturel | Jan 15, 2019 | Uncategorized
Unless you’ve been avoiding the Internet – or you’re not interested in writing essays – you have probably seen the torrent of controversy sparked by Christine Tate’s latest essay in The Washington Post. In the piece, Tate says she won’t stop writing about her...
