admin, Author at Stories and Songs

Karen Leslie Interview on Process

[The following first appeared in the December 2024 newsletter of Author’s Note newsletter.] Where are you from, what do you do, and fun fact about yourself! I grew up in small town Pennsylvania with the freedom to play in nature unsupervised for hours and frequent visits to the library. I loved it! Somewhere between Island of the Blue Dolphins, The Velvet Room, and Charlotte’s Web, I started dreaming of writing novels. I read late into the night, during class, on […]

If I Had to Do It Over: Reflections of A Pro Songwriter

songwriting by admin

Looking back there are a few things I wish I had done differently. Each day we try to do something to help another not make the same mistakes we made when we were coming up through the ranks, hoping someday people could turn on the radio and sing along to a song we wrote. It personally took me until I was 40 years old to hear that 3:50 of magic on the radio of my car! […]

The Scent of Rain + Fast-write Exercise

Creative Non-Fiction, Writing, Writing Exercise by admin

Lately, when I catch the scent of rain and earth rising up, I am ten again. It’s Easter morning, the forsythia just blooming, and I sense my Mother moving somewhere nearby. I am innocent. Today, an old man packs my groceries, repacks the eggs with a tsk at the carton fallen on its side. The eggs are intact. I mouth his name tag: “Art.” My sweet grandfather’s name. Finished with his task, he regards me […]

Are Reading And Writing Basic Necessities of Life? Fast-Write Exercise

Reading, Writing, Writing Exercise by admin

byline Karen Leslie “Après les choses qui sont de première nécessité pour la vie, rien n’est plus précieux que les livres.” Pierre Simon Fournier, Typography Manual, 1764 Translation: “After all the basic necessities of life, there is nothing more precious than books.” For most writers, a book (or owning many books) is the holy grail. We are attracted to them like bees to honey, like moths to the flame, like water for life. Words, Story, the […]

Heart vs. Head: How To Write Your Best Songs

songwriting by admin

Songwriting is beautifully complex and yet simple…

Name It: A Writing Exercise for Travelers

Creative Non-Fiction, Memoir, Writing, Writing Exercise by admin

I’m perched on Elk Rock — or Moonlight Ledge, depending on the position of the sun, circa 2005. We’ve climbed the mountainside behind my dear friend’s hand-built cabin in Evergreen, Colorado, where a bookshelf hugs the ceiling of every room, a wool loom waits in the corner, and curiosity and caring fill the rest. I’ve just cut my hair and life had no ease except for this beautiful Western sanctuary. Evergreen is a picturesque town in the […]

The Creative River: What’s Stopping You?

Sessions by admin

I remember sitting in a Mexican restaurant a few years ago with the late songwriter Tim Johnson. We were preparing to play a benefit that evening for a local high school. “What’s stopping you?” Tim asked. You see, I’d just told him that I’d always dreamed of playing the stage at the legendary Ryman Auditorium. So many of my musical heroes had stood on that hardwood stage singing their songs for the gathered. “What’s stopping […]

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