How to Build a World With Words

Observations on The Craft of Writing

Truck driver and Barn (Goshen, Arkansas, 2024)

Two weeks ago, I shared an hour with Founding Subscriber,

Paul LaPenna

. In that hour, we discussed writing, reading, and the stuff of life. Paul asked wonderful questions about the craft of writing, and I shared my modest observations. In the wake of that conversation, I decided to share some of those observations with you.

I generally hate the writing-on-writing genre, but today, I’m indulging. Enjoy. And at the end of this piece, I’d love to hear your observations.

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THIS IS HOW I remember it: Mother at the foot of the long, cherry-stained table, pushing pages to find her spot in The Chronicles of Narnia; over my shoulder in the galley kitchen, Dad ran water through bowls so the night's jambalaya didn't stick to the side like concrete; my sister, still in her gym clothes and smelling of hours-old sweat, tapped the table with two fingers, banging out some cattywampus rhythm. 

Having found her spot, my mother shouted toward the kitchen.