NEWS YOU CAN USE. Maybe you saw these stories. Maybe you missed them, but these are among the pieces I’ve read recently that might elicit some form of short memoir – an op-ed, or personal essay – from you. Once a week I’ll bring you news pieces I find provocative. Here are some that get me going:
- Ho hum, or is it ho, ho, ho? Another Hollywood tell-all sex memoir
- Republicans have more orgasms. Yes, I know what you’re thinking. Or do I?
- Small suit against a big company may start a trend
- The Susan G. Komen controversy. Think you have not got a Planned Parenthood story? Think again
- New sing along to the bottle of beer on the wall tune: 31 pounds of cheese!
Surely you have something to say using one of these as your news peg.
Looking for inspiration or guidance on how to write a personal essay? Look at my categories for NPR essays, parenting essays, and several other topics. All of the pieces there have been published, or have aired on the radio. If those don’t work, see the interactive calendar for more inspiration. And write on.
See a typo, a grammar flub, my (ever-present) overuse of commas? Point it out, and I’ll throw you in the pool for a monthly free book giveaway. Which book? One of mine – your choice – all of which were professionally copy edited, thank goodness.
