Charlene Lamy Edge Speaks about Writing

Greetings, writers. Here's something that's helped me. I hope you find it valuable. S.U.D.S. is simple, yet powerful. It's a helpful motto for many aspects of my own life, including writing projects. What is S.U.D.S.? The S.U.D. part of the acronym is from Arthur Ashe (famed tennis player). Click → here . The final “S” in S.U.D.S. is from me (famed blogger). Click → here . S  =  Start where you are. Acknowledge how you feel and what the problem or challenge actually is that you face. U  =  Use what you have. Consider also how to reuse, repair, recycle relevant resources. D  =  Do what you can. Take action regarding what you discovered with “S” and “U” to move toward your goal. S  = Stay in your lane.  I added this. It comes from staying in my lane when I swim laps at the gym. I try to focus on my own tasks and mind my own business. When I remind myself of S.U.D.S. while doing anything I do, I feel more grounded, focused, an...

We can all do with an extra dose of kindness these days, right? I happen to know a writer who dispenses just that in her book, Mini Horses, Mighty Hearts: Rootbeer and Edward . O’Bark Press, 2019. It’s a tender story accompanied by lovely illustrations. The author, Rene Townsend, is one of my dear friends. She wrote the story primarily for ages 7 – 12, but you’ll find that it’s appropriate for any age. Think about making it a holiday or birthday gift for the kids and grandkids in your life. Mini Horses, Mighty Hearts “Mini Horses, Mighty Hearts is entertaining and heartwarming, celebrating the positive connection between animals and humans. In an engaging way, the miniature horses’ adventures will bring you into their story and help you realize you are not alone. Working in animal welfare for over 50 years, I was touched by the animal-human bonds portrayed.” ~ Michael Arms, President/CEO, Helen Woodward Animal Center. “The days Rootbeer and Edward, two miniature horses, visited our sc...

                           Photo: Charlene Edge journals at airport in Peru. 2011. Love those boots! Photo by Hoyt Edge. Hello, readers! When something wonderful, momentous, or strange happens to you, do you ever think, “I’ve got to write about this!” If that’s true for you, then this post about memoir writing may help. At the end of this post, you’ll find my recommended books about writing memoirs. Memoirs are in the category of non-fiction, and they cover only a slice of an author’s life, not the whole pie, which would be an autobiography. The booklist is also tucked in my second book, From the Porch to the Page: A Guidebook for the Writing Life , in the section “Writing Memoir,” just in case you have it, hint, hint. But first… My favorite book about the writing life … …is Brenda Ueland’s, If You Want To Write: A Book About Art, Independence and Spirit . In it she gives the most delightful encouragements...

Greetings, readers! Thought I’d send you a poem that a friend gave me long ago when I lived in Tampa, Florida. She knew I liked to walk along a bay near my apartment because being near, in, or on water has always brought me peace. After the poem, I recommend my favorite book about water. Peaceful Waters by James Dillet Freeman We turn toward water, and find peace. Is it because water, Content to seek the lowest places, Consents to flow? Water has a power to quiet us Even when it is in tumult— We walk beside a mountain stream, Or a waterfall, or the ocean, And we grow still. Water, I think, reminds us That in us are deeps And when we let ourselves flow toward them, Even in our tumult, We are serene. ~ This poem was published in August 1988 by DAILY WORD, Unity Village, MO 64065. ~ Recommended reading Author and scientist, Wallace J. Nichols, published what became a national bestseller: Blue Mind: The Surprising Science That Shows How Being Near, In, On, or Under Water Can Make You Happ...

[Graphic by Mohamed_hassan at Pixabay] Greetings, readers. Today I'm sharing something special from a guest blogger. The following was first published on the Florida Writers Association's blog on July 10, 2026. It appears here by permission from the author, Paul Iasevoli. Paul holds a master's degree in Latin American Literature. Born in New York, he came of age in the Midwest, studied French in Quebec, Spanish in Spain, and worked for 30 years as a teacher and school administrator on Long Island, NY. Now living on the Gulf Coast of Florida, he works as a freelance editor and serves on Florida Writers Association's Board of Directors. Visit:  https://www.pauliasevoliwords.com Writers: The Fifth Estate by Paul Iasevoli The Press The term fourth estate was coined centuries ago in reference to the press and is enshrined in the First Amendment of our Constitution along with the freedom of speech and the right of the people to assemble. Now, in this third decade of t...

Charlene pictured in a Winter Park, Florida, shop, with copies of her memoir, Undertow , on the shelf. 2017. Hello, readers. Today's post is included on this blog because it cites serious issues about The Way International's founder, Victor Paul Wierwille, plagiarizing the work of other writers.  What about writers and self-respect? Self-respect is connected to today's topic: writers and AI. Remember, AI stands for Artificial Intelligence. I know, I know. This issue of AI is all over the map. Some believe it's helpful in certain fields, like those pertaining to science and math. But if you ask some of us who care about literature, you might get a different response. We say something like this: If you want artificial novels, plays, poems, memoirs and articles spit out by a machine (in part or in whole), fine. But some of us don't. We don't want literature like that, and we sure won't write it like that. We refuse to use AI to create any literary works, i...

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 ...

Hi, readers and writers, Today I'm checking in to pass along one of my favorite quotes about the creative process. It's from Maria Popova at  10 Learnings from 10 Years of Brain Pickings – The Marginalian : "Build pockets of stillness into your life.  Meditate. Go for walks. Ride your bike going nowhere in particular. There is a creative purpose to  daydreaming , even to  boredom . The best ideas come to us when we stop actively trying to coax the muse into manifesting and let the fragments of experience float around our unconscious mind in order to click into new combinations. Without this essential stage of  unconscious processing , the entire  flow of the creative process  is broken.  "Most important,  sleep . Besides being  the greatest creative aphrodisiac , sleep also  affects our every waking moment ,  dictates our social rhythm , and even  mediates our negative moods . Be as religious and disciplined about yo...

What's poetry good for? Here's this from Christian Winman , editor of Poetry magazine from 2003-2013:   Let us remember ... that in the end we go to poetry for one reason, so that we might more fully inhabit our lives and the world in which we live them, and that if we more fully inhabit these things, we might be less apt to destroy both. Thanks for reading! Charlene *I do not use AI to write any of my blog posts.

Graphic by Mohamed_hassan at Pixabay Greetings, readers. In my writing room, there are treasures on the wall above my desk: writing advice, inspirational quotes, loving messages from family and friends. All this helps to keep me going in my writing life. It feels like a good idea to start a little series here on the blog to share them with you! Let's get started ... From the author of Charlotte's Web and other great books  "A writer has the duty to be good, not lousy; true not false; lively, not dull; accurate, not full of error. He [she] should tend to lift people up, not lower them down. Writers do not merely reflect and interpret life; they inform and shape life." E.B. White, The Paris Review Interviews, IV Thanks for reading! Charlene *I do not use AI to write any of my blog posts. 

Greetings, readers. Welcome to my new blog, "Charlene Lamy Edge Speaks about Writing." This is the first official post. Today, I want to be sure you know I published a guidebook for the writing life. It came out in 2022, five years after I published my first book,  Undertow: My Escape from the Fundamentalism and Cult Control of The Way International . From the Porch to the Page: A Guidebook for the Writing Life   is not only about the writing life and craft, it also offers some of my original work, such as 25 of my poems.  I've nicknamed this book PORCH. It's available at major online booksellers in paperback and eBook. It can be ordered by Indie bookstores and public libraries, too, just like Undertow can. What is PORCH all about? Beginning with “Readers Become Writers” and ending with “If You Want to Keep Writing,” Edge’s encouraging and gentle book highlights the vistas, detours, and delights on the writing path, along with truths we can all apply to poetry, prose...