Tag Archives: Writing

30 November 2022Creativity CornerCreative Writing, Identity, Leuphana, Leuphana Universität Lüneburg, Leuphana University Lüneburg, Sandra Cisneros, Stories, Vignettes, WritingJanina Malena Sähn

“My Name” – Vignettes about You

By Maria Moss

Vignettes are wonderful! Sometimes described as a slice of life, vignettes can be so short that they take away the fear of ending up with a white page. Unlike a short story, there’s no defined beginning, middle, or end with a cast of characters, multiple conflicts, and the ultimate resolution phase. Instead, the vignette’s impressionistic scenes focus on one moment or give a particular insight into one character, idea, or setting.

The Mexican American author Sandra Cisneros is the unchallenged queen of vignette writing, and her collection of 44 vignettes, (1984) is a must read.

6 January 2021Best Books & Fabulous FilmsBrain Science, Calvisi, Fiction, How To Write, Leuphana, Leuphana Universität Lüneburg, Lisa Cron, Novels, Pantsers, Screenplay, Screenwriting, Stories, Story Maps, Story Structure, Storytelling, WritingHenrike Kattoll

Storytelling: Of Geniuses and Maps

By Kai-Arne Zimny

What makes a piece of fiction successful, apart from a good portion of luck? Well, some writers deem the craft of ‘plotting’ essential for creating fiction that goes somewhere, while others prefer to write from the seat of their pants and are likely to dread the prospect of their art being anything less than inspiration, talent, and vision.

Let me introduce you to two writing guides that might offer some perspective on the initial question. First, let’s visit someone who claims that both ‘pantsers’ and plotters are on the wrong track because …

15 July 2020Creativity CornerAuthor, Bolivia, Canada, Canadian Writer, Fairytales, Influences, Interview, Leuphana, Leuphana Universität Lüneburg, Manitoba Colony, Mennonite Community, Mennonites, Women, Women Talking, Writer, WritingHenrike Kattoll

“Writing is how I process things”: An Interview with Miriam Toews

By Sabrina Völz and Maryann Henck

We met Miriam Toews at a reading in Hamburg on March 26, 2019. Toews was on a book tour to promote the German translation of her seventh novel, Women Talking. The novel is based on very disturbing events that took place between 2005 and 2008 in Bolivia. The German version, Die Aussprache, was published by Hoffmann und Campe in 2018. For her novel, A Complicated Kindness (2004), Miriam Toews won Canada’s most prestigious literary prize, the Governor General’s Award. Since Toews will not be physically present at the Frankfurt Book Fair 2020 to represent Canada, this year’s guest of honor, this interview will hopefully help tie us over until her next visit to Germany.

27 May 2020Teaching ToolsLeuphana, Leuphana Universität Lüneburg, Poem Analysis, Poems, Poetry, Teaching, WritingHenrike Kattoll

A Changing Mindset: Teaching “A Mown Lawn” by Lydia Davis

By Sabrina Völz

Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020 (10:47 a.m.)
Lydia Davis (1947- ) is a lover of language and an American writer, probably in that order. She’s best known for her minimalist writing style and works of brevity (short stories, flash fiction, and narratives made up of only a couple of lines). One of my favorite prose poems is “A Mown Lawn.” It is literally one-of‑a kind. Well, almost. I think Davis wrote two political pieces, of which “A Mown Lawn” is one. If you aren’t familiar with it, please read it, otherwise this blog might not make sense (see image below).
As some of our loyal readers might recall, my colleague Maria Moss has written several blogs on how to teach poetry, including “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost and Haikus. But I’m not like her. To be honest, I’m somewhat leery of the long faces students often make when they hear the word ‘poetry.’ Determined to give it a try, I prepared a lesson that would hopefully help my students appreciate Davis’s poem, engage with the topics, and think about language – the power of language, or should I say, the lack thereof? Anyway, here are my notes:

12:10 p.m.
Off to class. Let’s see how it goes.
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