May 11Member-onlyWHY MY MOTHER WAS DEBBIE DOWNERPhoto by Steinar Engeland For years, I tried to figure out what my mother must have suffered to make her so obsessed with her bodily functions and those of the ones she loved, why she was so compulsive about keeping our modest ranch house in the Catskills so neat and…Mothers2 min readMothers2 min read
Published inIndex·Jul 26, 2021Member-onlyLove (Really) Is All AroundWhat ‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show’ taught me about the life and death of the office family — Stir-crazy during the wintry months of the pandemic, I found myself gobbling up two or three episodes of the old Mary Tyler Moore Show every night. When the series originally ran in the 1970s, I was too wrapped up in my own teenage travails to really care. The lead character…Work12 min readWork12 min read
Published inHuman Parts·Jul 31, 2020Member-onlyHow Sweet the SoundAfter years of silence, I’m finally conquering my fear of singing in public — We sat in a circle at the 92nd Street Y, recounting the traumas that had silenced us. “My music teacher told me to move my lips but not make a sound,” the first woman said. The rest of us nodded in recognition. Half of the fourteen members of that class…Music17 min readMusic17 min read
Published inHuman Parts·Jun 10, 2020Member-onlyOn the Awkwardness of Talking About CreativityAmericans have always been suspicious of people who spend too much time in their heads — Welcome to The Draft, an advice column about writing and life from Eileen Pollack, former director of the University of Michigan MFA Program. We’re here to answer your questions about storycraft, writing, and telling the truth. Dear Draft, When someone asks what I do, I never know how to respond…Life7 min readLife7 min read
Published inHuman Parts·May 27, 2020Member-onlyHow to Be Edited Without Losing Your MindYou may disagree with your editor, but they’re (probably) right — Welcome to The Draft, an advice column about writing and life from Eileen Pollack, former director of the University of Michigan MFA Program. We’re here to answer your questions about storycraft, writing, and telling the truth. Have a question? Share it with us. Dear Draft, I’m using the lockdown to…Writing9 min readWriting9 min read
Published inHuman Parts·May 13, 2020Member-onlyWhy Endless Free Time Can Be a Curse for CreativityIf you want to write, give yourself some constraints — and, maybe, a day job — This is The Draft, an advice column about writing and life from Eileen Pollack, former director of the University of Michigan MFA program. We’re here to answer your questions about storycraft, writing, and telling the truth. Have a question? Share it with us. Dear Draft, Can you talk about how…Writing7 min readWriting7 min read
Published inHuman Parts·Apr 29, 2020Member-onlyIt’s Okay to Be IrrelevantAdvice for promoting your work in the midst of a pandemic — Welcome to The Draft, an advice column about writing and life from Eileen Pollack, former director of the University of Michigan MFA Program. We’re here to answer your questions about storycraft, writing, and telling the truth. Have a question? Share it with us. Dear Draft, What I write doesn’t have…Writing7 min readWriting7 min read
Published inHuman Parts·Apr 15, 2020Member-onlyThe Best Thing You Can Do Is Keep GoingDon’t worry about being productive right now. Just be aware. — Welcome to The Draft, an advice column about writing and life from Eileen Pollack, former director of the University of Michigan MFA Program. We’re here to answer your questions about storycraft, writing, and telling the truth. Have a question? Share it with us. Dear Draft, For the life of me…Life7 min readLife7 min read
Published inHuman Parts·Apr 8, 2020Member-onlyYou Don’t Have to Write About the VirusBut if you do, here’s how to find something new to say — Welcome to The Draft, an advice column about writing and life from Eileen Pollack, former director of the University of Michigan MFA Program. We’re here to answer your questions about storycraft, writing, and telling the truth. Have a question? Share it with us. Dear Draft, I feel as if I…Creativity9 min readCreativity9 min read
Published inHuman Parts·Apr 1, 2020Member-onlyHow to Finally Finish Your Creative ProjectsIf you’re stuck at home, dig up a half-written draft and commit to completing it — Welcome to The Draft, an advice column about writing and life from Eileen Pollack, former director of the University of Michigan MFA Program. We’re here to answer your questions about storycraft, writing, and telling the truth. Have a question? Share it with us. Dear Draft, Even when I have an…The Draft7 min readThe Draft7 min read
