by Sidney S. Stark The phrase ‘play it by ear’ has many nuances of meaning in both its literal and figurative iterations. The one we’re all most familiar with refers to the musical ability to perform a piece without notation. The furthest extreme of that version is probably represented by the prodigious skill of the… Continue Reading
Category Archives: Writing
The Loneliness Factor
by Sidney S. Stark “It’s such a lonely life in some ways…being a writer…and you do this thing in a room by yourself for a long time…and you might be the only person who cares that you do it.” This reflective, almost wistful statement was offered by Melissa Bank, an author who teaches a fiction… Continue Reading
Lifelong Learning
by Sidney S. Stark The phrase came into focus for me at my first college graduation. That matriculation was a two year foray to acquire an associate’s degree. In 1963 two years seemed like more than enough of a commitment as I was burned out from my academically competitive high school years. The reduced timeframe… Continue Reading
Self-Indulgence
by Sidney S. Stark Recently my friend Sam made a horrendous mistake. Sam (short for Samantha) is a writer I met at the Southampton Writers’ Conference in 2009. She was in my memoir workshop and we became buddies almost instantaneously. Sam wrote the funniest work of any of the ten participants in that class. As… Continue Reading