Tag Archives: non-fiction

Always Tell the Truth, Even When You’re Lying

Posted on July 9, 2026 by mitchteemley

Photo by Thom Milkovic Tips for Writers Always tell the truth, even when you’re lying. Um, what? Most of us are familiar with the Blind Men and the Elephant story. Its point is twofold: No one has a complete picture, … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Culture, Humor, Writing and Blogging | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 28 Comments

Tips for Writers: Just Show Up!

Posted on March 5, 2026 by mitchteemley

Tips for Writers: Just Show Up! Your Daily Leap of Faith Underpinning the encouragement in a previous Tips for Writers, is the fact that a leap of faith is involved in believing you’ll have any idea what to write once … Continue reading →

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How to Remember Your Future

Posted on May 19, 2025 by mitchteemley

Thought for the Week Thirteen Years. That’s how long Marcel Proust spent writing and expanding his seven-volume autobiographical novel. He obsessed over getting every detail right, and leaving nothing out. Only no one would publish it. So he published it … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Memoir | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 37 Comments

Edit, Edit, Edit…and Then Edit Again

Posted on May 14, 2025 by mitchteemley

Some things never change: I’m currently working on the “final final” draft of my book. It’s all strictly scientific: First, I remove sequences. Then I put them back in. Then I remove them again. Then I move paragraphs, put them … Continue reading →

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The Storm I Couldn’t See Coming

Posted on May 13, 2025 by mitchteemley

Image by PortSundries My Real Memoir There’d been signs early on, but I was too young to know what they meant. In primary school I’d heard the phrase, “Step on a crack and break your mother’s back,” and started avoiding cracks. … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Humor, Memoir | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 32 Comments

Putting My Search for Meaning On Hold

Posted on March 11, 2025 by mitchteemley

My Real Memoir I’d been admitted, I discovered, to one of the top drama schools in the country. The “Welcome Theatre Majors! Party” at a wealthy alumna’s pad, revealed two other things: they could drink and they could think. If they’d been … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, Memoir, Religion and Faith | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 27 Comments

I’ve Found the Cure for Writer’s Block

Posted on February 22, 2025 by mitchteemley

This is one possible cure. But there’s a preferable one below. Tips for Writers There are two definitions for “block”: 1) an obstacle to be avoided; 2) a material to be used (as in construction). The cure for Writers Block … Continue reading →

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The Wonderful Smell of Books

Posted on February 17, 2025 by mitchteemley

Thought for the Week “They need to create a ‘book smell’ app!” I wrote after caving in and buying a tablet computer. But the smell was never the point; it was the memories it evoked. (Although I do still love … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Culture, Humor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 66 Comments

Dangling by a Thread of Hope

Posted on February 4, 2025 by mitchteemley

My Real Memoir I’d just turned twenty-five, and was recovering from multiple goodbyes, while pushing back against that old recurring sense of purposelessness. So I clung to what remained: I still had friends, even if the tide had carried some away. And … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Memoir | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 37 Comments

Here’s Why You Need to Learn to Love Editing

Posted on December 19, 2024 by mitchteemley

Tips for Writers Man, I love the smell coffee in the morning. But I didn’t always. I started drinking it because of what it could do for me–keep me alert during my first year of college. But then I gradually … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Humor, Writing and Blogging | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 60 Comments