Lex Sonne / Writing Coach

Last year was the first time I had the opportunity to work with clients who had the goal of pursuing an MFA in creative writing. Both were fantastic, dedicated writers, and I knew they'd land where they deserved to study. That said, I couldn't imagine the joy I would feel when I was informed of their acceptance letters. I was transported back to 2006 when I started my MFA journey - one of the most productive and happiest times of my life.
I want to thank them again for trusting me with their stories and essays and wish them the very best as they continue to experience the world and put their version of it on the page.
(I'll keep their names private here so they can celebrate when and how they prefer.)

Kentucky. 8:07 pm. 7.31.23
What's the weather, I ask my clients. Where's the light coming from? What emotion is showing in the characters' faces? Heighten the drama. Exaggerate.
I wrote a descriptive piece my senior year of high school. I sat on the same porch I'm sitting at now at nearly the same time of day. I sat for an hour and wrote and then edited that night. I remember describing the ornamental grass that separates the yard from the field. Something about the flowering tops resembling streetlamps.
How many times have I described a scene? How many times have I described a scene that was actually read by other people? Fifty? Two hundred? A thousand?
I have no clue.
But the question I ask myself now twenty-three years later... The question is, why did I enjoy sitting on this porch describing the gloaming?
Because I was good at it? Because I liked the A and the praise from my teacher?
Sure. I can't deny that.
But what's deeper?
It had to do with the passage of time. It was the meditative state writing provided. It was an hour here and an hour there where my soul was allowed to breathe. It was my canvas. It was simple and elemental. The act fit the shape and color of my soul.
And now I sit repeating the same act.
If I told you how many pages...
Only writers understand...
The scenes...
The pages...
There is light still. The black walnut leaves hang in dark bunches like trees near sand. But there is no sand. There are only rolling hills. There is only a person trying to connect once again with the divine.
There is light still.

Trick or Treat: Free 1st Class
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lexsonnewriting.com

Kind words from a former client.
▪︎I have 2 openings for the fall▪︎
▪︎DM for details▪︎
✏🍂🍁✏🍂🍁✏

Most writers end up complicating things. It's what we do. The stories and chapters we wrote effortlessly in our 20s seem to be out of reach - lightyears away from where we now sit down once again to look at the blank page. But we can overcome that anxiety. If age teaches us anything it's that people adapt. And we must adapt to the fact that we know so much more about narrative - so much that it can strangle us into a block.
How do we fight it? Focus. Focus on the scene at hand once again. And write like we have a rabid dog on our tails. Write it as quickly as possible. You don't have to sprint. Maybe that's not your style. Just focus on the characters and their actions. Not pace. Not what's coming next. Let the waking dream play out as if you've given up all control.
Create, edit, create. Not: edit, create, edit.
And let me know if you have any tricks.

Write. Teach. Write. Talk to some people. See where you're walking. Teach. Write.

Fiction Tip #1: DON'T BE BORED
One of the first pieces of writing advice I took to heart came from a Kentucky novelist by the name of Silas House. He said to me or to a group of us fledgling writers, "Discover something new every day." If I remember correctly, Silas had picked it up from poet and novelist James Still.
I'll push beyond that and say, if you want to write well, don't be bored. Be an active listener and observer whether you're on the train after work or sitting down to a less-than-exciting dinner with people you know too well. Watch people's gestures. Notice how their eyes change when something sparks them. And listen to how the banter jumps from topic to topic, how replies are often not replies at all, and how conversations loop themselves back together in ways that are something more akin to art than an equation.
Boredom is the worst. We all know that. So fight it with always watching and listening for your stories. You don't even have to talk, which is what most of us writers prefer.

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Lex Sonne | Writing Coach Private Writing Instruction ChicagoWant to start the novel you’ve been outlining at work? Need motivation to write the memoir you will hand down to future generations? Every class is custom-tailored to your needs. What I do: Writers need other writers for inspiration and motivation, for building ...

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