- 240 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Only available on web
About This Book
2024 IPPY Silver Medal Winner At times writersâfrom the unpublished to jaded lifersâneed a fire lit under them to pursue the complex work of self-exploration. Acetylene Torch Songs provides that spark for memoirists and essayists seeking mentor-based instruction and inspiration. Drawing on twenty-five years of teaching and mentoring writers, Sue William Silverman stresses practice over theory. She encourages craftiness as well as craft and urges writers to embark on emotional quests in pursuit of their art. Acetylene Torch Songs uniquely illustrates how the writer's imaginative spirit comes alive on the page through metaphor, literary masks, sensory memories, voice, obsessions, and more. This holistic approach to writing emphasizes how the creative process brings together the heart, mind, and senses to illuminate the human condition through language. Featuring a personal essay in each chapter, Silverman uses her own work to model a specific concept or approach, demonstrating how obsessions, secrets, and memories can burn on the page. Through guided prompts, worksheets, checklists, publishing advice, personal essays, and strategies, Silverman encourages writers to find the confidence and courage to write stories that reach beyond the page through their intimacy, social engagement, and honesty.
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Table of contents
- Cover
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Dedication
- Definitions
- Epigraph
- Contents
- List of Illustrations
- The Hammer Overture
- Part 1
- 1. âBody and Soulâ
- 2. âThanks for the Memoryâ
- 3. âGhost Riders in the Skyâ
- 4. âBehind the Maskâ
- 5. âVoices inside My Headâe
- 6. âThe Long and Winding Roadâ
- 7. âCome Togetherâ
- Part 2
- 8. âRespectâ
- 9. âYou Donât Own Meâ
- 10. âDo You Want to Know a Secret?â
- 11. âLook through Any Windowâ
- Bonus Tracks
- Sueâs EZ Rules to Write By
- On Trifles
- AfterWord
- Acknowledgments
- Appendix 1
- Appendix 2
- Appendix 3
- Appendix 4
- Appendix 5
- Brief Notes on Chapter Titles
- Notes
- About Sue William Silverman
- Other Works by Sue William Silverman