Writing

Suzette and her three husbands by Suzette Standring

Let’s get something out of the way.  I’m 68 and I have been married three times.  As they say, the third’s a charm. I am not embarrassed, although the wife of my first ex-husband did try.  At my daughter’s wedding, she loudly said, “I want a picture of Suzette and her three husbands!”   Since […]

Watercolors: What took me so long? (Unfounded fear)

What stops you from taking a watercolor class or anything else for which you’re convinced you are terrible? I once painted a trio of peonies and was told it looked like Mickey Mouse’s head. It took me years to pick up a brush again. But I have!

My mother’s unloved diamond ring

We treasure what loved ones left behind, like a favorite piece of jewelry. Or was it? My mother’s engagement ring has quite a story, and now at age 67, I understand why she never wore it. She married my dad in 1950, and later in the 1980’s, after my mother’s death, the sparkly European-cut diamond […]

Suzette Teaches How To Write About Death and Dying – Register!

Writing about death is intimate.  More personal than writing about sex, your bank balance, or whatever “stayed in Las Vegas.” Beginning Tuesday, October 12, 2021, I will teach a 7-week writing course for The School of American Thanatology. My classes will blend practical writing tips and guided imagery exercises toward authenticity, vulnerability, and effective writing […]

Getting along: stick to first person

Here’s a novel thought for getting along.  Let’s stop the name-calling and making assumptions about each other’s character.  No good comes from labels like “deplorables,” “baby killers,” or “socialists.”  Sure, it’s on TV all the time where our mommies and daddies of political leadership set a bad example, but let’s be the kids who decide […]