Hey Story Lovers,
Lately, I feel like I have nothing to say. Or more, I don’t even care what I have to say. But then I wrote a braided essay, sort of by accident, and then I got it published in First Person Singular and then I got to perform it live at the Flagstaff Festival of Science. The performance wasn't an accident, more a lucky break. Allison Langer and I get to teach scientists at Northern Arizona University how to personalize their science stories. And I got to sciencealize my personal story.
I used a device—the braided essay, which is when you take two, three, even four seemingly unrelated elements and weave them together. I wrote about jumping rope and climate change and kept writing until those two parts did seem related. I’m not a huge fan of writing using a device, but sometimes following a form helps create something, even when you think you have nothing to say.
The story is about jumping rope to deal with my anxiety about a tornado that was ripping through Tallahassee when my daughter lived there. The story is called A Numbers Game because temperatures and jump counts are rising.
Listen on Spotify Episode 205: How Are Jumping Rope and Tornadoes Related? A Braided Essay. Or click the picture to listen on ApplePodcasts.
Or click HERE to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you can watch every episode.
YOU CAN WRITE a braided essay of your own this Saturday at the Tips Clinic, even if you think you have nothing to say. By the end of the hour, you'll have the start of a braided essay or your money back. The class is FREE.
SATURDAY, May 10, 2025
Tips Clinic, 12 to 1 p.m. ET on Zoom
We’ll write and (if you want) you can share what you wrote for feedback.
Here’s the FREE Tips Clinic Zoom link.
As always, we have two First Draft weekly writing groups where you write to a prompt and share if you want. Click here to join Allison Langer Tuesdays 12-1 ET. Click here to join Eduardo Winck Mondays 8-9 ET. You can test drive for FREE.
Thanks for reading. And thanks for listening to Writing Class Radio.
If this newsletter asks you to become a paid subscriber, tell it to F off. This letter is free.
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