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Barbara Falconer Newhall

Veteran journalist Barbara Falconer Newhall riffs on life as she knows it.

  • A CASE OF THE HUMAN CONDITION
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The Writing Room

I’m a writer who loves to talk about writing, so if you’re a writer or an aspiring writer I hope you'll stop by now and then and keep me company . . . You’ll find writing tips here as well as my thoughts on the writing life. Watch out, though. The Grammar Geek will be putting in her two cents from time to time.

KidSpirit OnLine: Where Young Souls Take On the Big–Old–Questions

October 30, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

The logo of KidSpirit OnLine.

Does truth have inherent value? What is beauty? Those are big questions, but the brave, young souls of KidSpirit OnLine are ready to take on the big ideas. Read more.

Journalists Killed in the Line of Duty: Foley, Sotloff Joined by Dozens Each Year

September 18, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Memorial to journalists killed in the line of duty at the Newseum in Washington, D.C, bears the names of thousands of journalists. Photo by Sam Kittner/Newseum

James Foley and Steven Sotloff are just two of the 50 journalists killed world-wide in the line of duty so far this year. Read more.

Writers Need Editors – And Mine Wants My Manuscript Turned In, Now

August 21, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Barbara Falconer Newhall frowns and frets as she gets started on editing the manuscript for her book, "Wrestling with God." Photo by Barbara Newhall

It’s time to put the final tweaks and edits on my book manuscript so that my editor can send it off to be formatted – and published. It’s been years since I started work on “Wrestling with God.” I’ve written draft after draft and tried format after format. I’ve been wrestling with that manuscript and what I want this book to be as fiercely as I’ve been wrestling with God and who that might be. Read more.

Tulips and Sex — Writing as If Everyone I Know Were Dead

April 3, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

looking at pink tulips just opening from the underside at Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland, CA. Photo by BF Newhall

I want to write about tulips today. I don’t want to write about sex. The trouble is, for me, writing about tulips means writing about sex: something about their juicy curves brings erotic metaphors to my particular mind. I had thought that once my mother — and father — were no longer alive and reading over my shoulder, I’d be able to write my heart out, but . . . Read more.

You’ve Got the Agent, You’ve Got the Publisher — But Do You Have the Publicist?

March 13, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Computer monitor shows title page of "Wrestling with God" book manuscript ready to send to publisher. Photo by BF Newhall

You get an idea for a book. You like it a lot. You think people are going to want to read this book. You’re stoked. Then you fret for months and years over how to transform this idea you like so much into a 250-page manuscript that people will actually read. Read more.

My Computer is Dead, Long Live My Omputer

March 7, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Jon Newhall, the author's geeky husband, sets up her new Toshiba laptop. Photo by BF Newhall

I went away for the weekend, and when I showed up in my writing room on Monday morning my laptop had crashed. “It’s not your fault,” said the computer repair guy. “Computers are machines. Machines break.“

Yippee! I Did It — I Finished My Book

February 20, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

the first page of Barbara Falconer Newhall's manuscript for Wrestling With God appears on her computer monitor. Photo by BF Newhall

At 6:02 p.m. yesterday evening I hit the send button and sent the manuscript for Wrestling With God off to my publisher, Patheos Press. To tell you the truth, I’m very proud of this book. Read more.

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ON THE FUNNY SIDE

Sheltering at Home: Day Zero

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The deadly COVID-19 virus is stalking the San Francisco Bay Area and authorities have ordered me and my neighbors to be sheltering at home starting now. Read more.

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TO MY READERS

Please feel free to share links to my posts with one and all and to quote briefly from them in your own writing, remembering, of course, to attribute the quote to me and to provide a link back to this site.

My Oakland Tribune columns, btw, are reprinted by permission of the Trib. With the exception of review copies of books, I do not accept ads or freebies of any kind. Click on the "Contact" button if you have questions. Enjoy!

 

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