I’m A Nice Lady, I Promise.

I promise I'm a nice lady but...

I’m a nice lady, I promise. Remember me? That nice lady whose email newsletter you signed up for and then stopped writing it. I promised an essay a month, book recommendations, writing and reading retreat announcements, and a few choice words about things that bug me because that’s what besties talk about. Not to be…

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Day Dream Believer

Ann Garvin 2004 Official Participant Number: #130 Title: Daydream Believer Word Count: 1,400   This was her last Friday night, Dog & Suds, Arf and Barf, dinner-and-a-movie special at the Drive All Night Drive-In. No more wiener jokes; “Hey Jen, can I ride my baloney barge into your bun?” Goodbye, dick heads trying to cop…

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Revision. Oh my God, Revision.

Revision and writing

Revision. Oh my God, Revision. Say it with me: Revision.  Let’s get right to it because that’s the first lesson in revision. You have to edit your writing. And you can’t write anything worth reading without it. [Tweet “Let’s get right to it because that’s the first lesson in revision. You have to edit your…

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I Thought You Said This Would Work

I thought you said this would work

I Thought You Said This Would Work This is both the title of my new book and what I say to my writer friends, agent, and publisher. I say, “I wrote this book, do you like it? Is it working?” And my people say, “Sort of, kind of, maybe, almost. Try this.” Then I go…

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So many confessions, so little time

I like my screen time

So many confessions, so little time. Hi, I’m Ann Garvin, and I like my screen time. Hear me out. I like my screens, but I also enjoy quiet time walking my dog outside. I like to stare into space and read real books. I love talking to my neighbors, going to listen to music, eating…

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Lift Don’t Suppress Others

Lift Don’t Suppress Others. Thirty-five Years After How to Suppress Women’s Writing In 1983, the University of Texas Press published Joanna Russ’s landmark “How to Suppress Women’s Writing”, which enumerated and elaborated on the many ways women writers had been kept out of the canon. Almost forty years later, it remains distressingly true that, as…

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Can I Pick Your Brain

pick your brain

Can I Pick Your Brain? The Fine Line Between Giving Back and Getting Paid The right connections in publishing can jumpstart your career and make the journey more enjoyable. But there is a fine line when asking for a favor (or a freebie) and networking. This panel looks at how emerging writers can gracefully navigate…

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Ann Garvin 2019 Appearances

Ann Appearance

Ann Garvin’s 2019 Appearances It’s official I need a wrangler. Until then this will have to do. Please Come Sit By Me January 17 – 20 Pulpwood Queen Girlfriend’s Weekend Texas. http://www.thepulpwoodqueens.com/2019-girlfriend-weekend-program/ January 26 One-On-One Mentor Day With Ann-Madison, WI anniewertzgarvin@gmail.com January 27 Bloom-real time chat all day-Online https://www.facebook.com/groups/Bloomwithtpw/ February 7 One-On-One Mentor Day with Ann-Madison, WI anniewertzgarvin@gmail.com March 1…

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The Dog Year

The Dog Year, Ann Garvin Author

The Dog Year Chapter One It’s Not About the Breast In the hospital parking ramp, Lucy snuck a glance at a new mother placing her infant into an elaborate car seat. The woman’s husband stood hovering at her shoulder, his hand gently touching her hip. She lingered, gazing at the tiny, beet-faced infant, love fairly…

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Writing In-Scene

writing in-scene

Writing in-scene is one of the best things a writer can learn. Here is a terrific exercise for writing in-scene using sense and want. Write the alphabet down the side of the page Write your own autobiography by choosing one NOUN for each letter of the alphabet. The noun should somehow signify one part of your life. …

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