Charlene Lamy Edge Speaks about Writing

Greetings, readers! Today I share great joy over my daughter, Rachel Chase, having her autobiographical story published. It appears as a chapter in the anthology, Unbreakable Spirit: 18 Stories of Feminine Resilience,Blessings and Renewal . (Laura Joan Cornell. Ananda Press. July 17, 2025.) This is a beautiful book full of wisdom borne from women's trials that turned to healing when they chose a different path—a path towards light, love, and creativity. Rachel's story Some of you know I spent many years as a leader and Biblical researcher in a fundamentalist cult, The Way International™. I wrote and published my memoir, Undertow, that tells that story. Rachel was born while our family was enmeshed in that cult. In 1987 when we escaped its headquarters in New Knoxville, Ohio, Rachel was only twelve years old. In Rachel's story, included in Unbreakable Spirit , she describes that part of her life, the confusion that followed after we escaped, and her journey to wholeness. N...

Photo: Charlene L. Edge with her husband, Hoyt Edge, at a book fair presenting Undertow. December, 2016. The question is, are the sentences any good? How do they make you feel? Sentences: words put in a certain order to achieve a pre-determined effect. Or, as Merriam-Webster says, “A group of words that expresses a statement, question, command, or wish. Sentences usually contain a subject and verb. In written English, the first word of a sentence is capitalized, and the sentence ends with a period, question mark, or exclamation point.” In Catholic school grammar class, I learned that sentences “express a complete thought.” Hold that thought. When people ask me how I produced Undertow , my memoir,  an d how long it took to write it, I say that in my case, it “took” about ten years. But if I gathered up the scattered bits of time spent thinking about it and scribbling notes, ten years stretches into twenty or more. I can tell you I began “writing it” in on napkins, in black and white...

  By: Tim Green This post is for writers looking for ideas about self-publishing their books. To Self-Publish or Not? Are you considering shaping your stories into books, trying to find an agent or publisher—or thinking about publishing your books yourself (GASP!)? For your consideration, I offer my experience to help in your decision-making process. I self-published two books: Undertow: My Escape from the Fundamentalism and Cult Control of The Way International (2017) and From the Porch to the Page: A Guidebook for the Writing Life (2022). The following is a slightly edited version of an article of mine first published nearly ten years ago in Florida Writers Magazine , April 2017. Off the Cliff: From Manuscript to Printed Book By Charlene L. Edge Writing a book is like jumping off a cliff. But fear not. As Annie Dillard says, grow wings on the way down. For authors, a safe landing transforms a manuscript into a printed book. If you’re adventurous, I’m here to tell you that you c...

Feeling down and out? In a slump? Distracted by the not-so-great world news? Here's some comfort food from my book, From the Porch to the Page: A Guidebook for the Writing Life (New Wings Press, LLC. 2023), from the chapter, "Writing the Truth."  ~~~~"No matter what awful situation surrounds us, as writers, we know a secret that can rid us of the blues. What is it? On the nearest blank page, write whatever comes to your mind. And keep writing. Write what you really feel, smell, see, hear, and touch. No one is watching. You're free to lose yourself in some messy sentences, brainstorm new characters...in your journal, which no one should ever read without permission, write the truth about what bothers you, what helps you." (Pg 17)~~~~ Thanks for reading! Charlene *I do not use AI to write any of my blog posts.

Greetings, readers! Are you interested in writing your life story? Or have you ever just wondered what the difference is between autobiography and memoir? The short answer is that autobiography tells a person's lifetime story. A memoir focuses on a slice of that lifetime.  Here's a few specifics on memoir that I've shared at presentations I've given about the art of writing memoir. I learned these things before and during writing my own memoir, Undertow . What is memoir?  1. It's a personal investigation: your blood, sweat, tears, and sleepless nights.  “… the memoir writer takes us back to some corner of his or her past that was unusually intense childhood, for instance or that was framed by war or some other upheaval.” (i.e. Russell Baker’s Growing Up). From  On Writing Well, by William Zinsser 2. It's about a specific time of your life. “It’s an act of writing frozen in a unique time and place.” ~ Zinsser 3. It's a narrative of “then.” “Think narrow, the...

Charlene Edge grew up on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in a Roman Catholic family during the 1950s and 1960s. At college in 1970, fellow students recruited her into The Way International, a Bible-based cult. She became a leader and biblical researcher in The Way, but after she discovered what The Way really was, she escaped its headquarters in 1987. Charlene's books Charlene Edge is the author of two books. Her award-winning memoir titled,  Undertow: My Escape from the Fundamentalism and Cult Control of The Way International  (2017) and ... From the Porch to the Page: A Guidebook for the Writing Life  (2022). It includes:  More than thirty essays on the writing life and craft Charlene’s short stories and poems illustrating essay topics Nourishing insights from well-known authors and poets Recommended books for writing memoir, poetry, fiction, and travel stories She launched  From the Porch to the Page  at the Winter Park ...