Free writing workshop After teaching writing and performance workshops for 30 years, I am now focusing on 1:1 coaching and mentoring . The only workshop I'm currently offering is on Wednesday mornings via Zoom (see below). "I am really enjoying the class. This is the easiest writing has ever been for me." Get Up and Write! E very Wednesday 8 to 9.15am Pacific Time Free via Zoom An appointment with yourself to write. Writing prompts. Or you can work on your own project. Conversation. C ompany in the creative process. Zo om link . ________________________________________________________________________

< Back #1 Gunther's Dream August 23, 2023 Comic Bonbon #1: Gunther's Dream It's January 2021. The depth of the pandemic. The medical storytelling podcast The Nocturnists, has put out a call for dreams. Physicians should make audio recordings of their dreams and nightmares, and upload them; some will be included in an upcoming episode. So, one day I'm talking to the podcast's host, my friend Emily Silverman (mentioned above), and she tells me they've just received this amazing dream from this German-accented physician. I didn't have the heart to tell her... Please feel free to share this bonbon with friends! For the next bonbon, click here Gunther's Dream 00:00 / 04:47 Keep the bonbons coming! Email me when the next one is ready! Email Subscribe Previous Next

How I became part man, part eagle My Political Rebirth (Oct 2025) The great labor organizer (accidentally) taught me how to talk to voters Last month, The New Yorker ran a piece called "How Jane McAlevey Transformed the Labor Movement." She also transformed how I make phone calls to voters. Here's the unlikely story of how that happened. I am a phone banker. I call voters and try to get them to vote for Democrats. I do not like doing this. I do it because our democracy is in trouble. I used to hate phone banking even more than I do now. What changed? That I can tell you in two words. Jane McAlevey. It’s April 2020. I’m calling voters in Arizona on behalf of two Democratic candidates for the state legislature. I’ve hit a long string of no-answers, half an hour of nothing. I go out to the garden for a break. Then I hear my phone ringing, inside the house. I run in, pick up, and hear a voice. "You called me?" A voter I hadn't reached is calling me back. I’m a bit flustered, look at my laptop screen to remember the names of the candidates, launch into my spiel. I say the candidates want to know what issues were important to voters. "How do you mean?" he said. I hear myself say, "Like – If you were in charge, what are the first three things you would change?" Immediately he says: "We have to enforce speed limits." He talks, energetically, about that, for a few minutes. "What else?" I say. "Education.” He talks, I listen. What he says gives me the opening I need. I tell him funding education is a top issue for the candidates I’m calling for. I give him a bit more detail, then say: "I think these candidates would be a good match for you." The conversation stays alive and energized to the end, I of course repeat the candidates' names multiple times. I think I got his vote. That magic question — "If you were in charge…" — yielded such different results from the generic "What issues are of most concern to you?" ! Only afterward did I realize where I’d gotten that question. A couple weeks earlier I was listening to Ezra Klein’s podcast. He had Jane McAlevey on – the legendary labor organizer. Ezra Klein: Walk me through a typical interaction with a worker, specifically one who may disagree with you. Jane McAlevey: When I start a conversation with a worker, I’m going to start by telling them exactly why I’m there. There’s no bullshitting: I’m here because coworkers of yours called up and they’re in and figuring out how you can make things better in the workplace. That’s it. I’m being very honest about why I’m on your do or. The very next thing I’m going to do is ask them a question: If you could change three things at work tomorrow, what would they be? * That question had apparently lodged in my brain and, when that voter called me back, it flew out of my mouth! I continued using that question, with good results. I told the phone bank captain, who passed it on to the campaign, which incorporated it into their phone bank script. A couple other campaigns have also incorporated that question or some version of it. I sent Jane a message telling her all this, and she replied: What a GLORIOUS email! Go, fight, and keep on winning! We have so much work to do. Be healthy, safe and strong * It's July 2022. I'm once again calling Arizona. I reach a woman I'll call Kara who, according to the information on my screen, is 21 and lives in Scottsdale. I ask her what she would do if she were in charge. "Protect reproductive freedom." No pause, no hesitation. She is angry about Dobbs , and what it's going to do to abortion access in Arizona. S he loves her 3-year-old son more than anything in the world, but if she were to get pregnant now, she wouldn't want to have another child. From her voice, her manner, her self-confidence, I picture a young white woman, broad-shouldered, blond, with a ponytail. Kara has a friend who's studying to be a Catholic priest. She tells me about her conversations with him, challenging him. Now he's come around to accepting that a woman's choice shouldn't be up to him, or the Church. Okay, abortion rights, I say. What else would you change? Education. Arizona's schools aren't good enough. Kara didn't a get a great education, she tells me, but it was decent. But she has friends who got a lousy education, and some of them have become Trump supporters. She still talks to them, but it's hard. Mainly she wants a good education for her 3-year-old son, and for all the kids of his generation. What else? Voting rights. She's been circulating petitions to protect voting rights in Arizona. I realize I'm talking to a born organizer. She's passionate, direct, a great speaker, a natural storyteller. I tell Kara she needs to run for something. "That's the best compliment I've ever gotten," she says. We agree that now is probably not the time for her to run for office -- she's a single parent, working, going to school -- but I insist that she consider it in the future. I ask about her friends, the ones she's getting to sign the voting rights petition. Are they all registered to vote? We work out a plan - she's going to post on Facebook, and offer every friend a dollar if they register. Facebook's not enough, I say, and insist she follow up with phone calls. Kara and I talked for nearly half an hour. That conversation was, in one sense, waiting to happen. But without that opening question, it wouldn't have. * It's October 2023. I'm calling voters in Virginia on behalf of Phil Hernandez, a Democratic candidate for state legislature. I reach a voter I’ll call Jennifer. The information on the screen told me she’s 66 years old. From her voice, I was pretty sure she was Black. “If you could change one or two things...” “Inflation. The cost of food, gas, rent.” There was anger in her voice. Fifteen dollars is not a high enough minimum wage. Yes, women should have control of their bodies, but what good is that if you don’t have enough to eat? The woman in the house next door is in her eighties and doesn’t have enough money for food. Jennifer kept going. And it’s terrible what’s happening to people in these wars, but why are we sending them money when our people at home can’t make ends meet? I listened, reflected back what I was hearing, asked her if it would be okay if I shared what she was saying with Phil Hernandez. “It’s important to Phil to know what people in the district are thinking.” Yes, that would be okay, Jennifer said. I’ve found that some people, once they feel heard, are open to hearing from me. I gently tried to steer the conversation to Phil Hernandez. Jennifer told me she’d voted for Democrats in the past, but now she’s planning not to vote. “They promise a lot, but nothing changes.” I asked her to tell me more about that, and she hung up. * So what happened in that call? Was it a failure? A confession about that call: I didn’t use the phone bank script I’d been given. Here’s how that script started: Hi! This is _________ with Phil Hernandez's campaign. Can I speak with __________? Great! I'm a volunteer with Phil's campaign. He is running for the Virginia House so he can go to Richmond to represent you, your family and this community. Can Phil count on your vote in the November election? If I’d gone with that opening, Jennifer would have hung up on me right away. * Over the last couple years, my own, loose, improvisational phone banking “script” has evolved. No matter what issue someone is talking about, no matter what side of the issue they’re on, I take notes. I tell the person I'm taking notes. I ask them if it would be okay to pass them on to the candidate. They always say yes. And I always pass them on. Sometimes I type them up and put them in the “Notes” field on the screen in front of me. Sometimes I put them in an email to the candidate. Sometimes, as was the case with Jennifer, I suggest the candidate follow up with a phone call: She voted for Dems in the past, now is so frustrated she's planning not to vote. If you call, she might get the sense that Democrats do care. That might earn her vote. * Think of it this way: Every time you call a voter, you are setting in motion a little play. There are two actors. Most phone bank scripts cast you, the caller, as a Salesperson. And the person who picks up the phone: they’re the person you’re trying to sell. What Jane McAlevey taught me is that we can change the play. The person picking up the phone is not a customer. Not the means to our end. They are a Member of Society . They have information w e need. That makes them the expert, the protagonist. Which is how it should be in a democracy. Thank you, Jane. November 12, 2023 Find out about: My coaching & mentoring for writers My free online writing community

The art and craft of the mini-memoir The art of the mini memoir Don't try to say it all. Say less and say it well. My approach to coaching memoir writing comes out of my own experience. I spent a year working on a memoir about my life in theater. After writing 150 pages, I faced the fact that I was never going to finish it. I am 67, and my life is busy with work, family, and fighting tyranny. Also -- I write v - e - r - y slowly. So what do I want to leave for my kids and grandkids? To share now with friends? Some of what I’ve learned, some essence of my experience and how I wrestled with it. And I want it to be a satifsying read – not something glib or hastily thrown together. I’ve settled on writing mini memoirs. Self-contained pieces that offer windows into the life I've led. Each mini memoir focuses on a single moment in my life. I've written two about my political activism, one about dealing with insomnia and heart disease. The three selves in memoir writing My approach to memoir writing is influenced by the work of the behavioral economist Daniel Kahnemann, z"l. Kahnemann observed that our Experiencing Self and our Remembering Self tell completely different stories about the same events. I believe the memoirist needs to draw on both of these sources -- and on yet another: the Reflective Self, which insists on asking bigger and deeper questions than we usually make time for. Read more What I'm offering If you're working on (or contemplating) a memoir, I offer small online groups invidividual coaching/mentoring . The first step for either is to schedule a free 15-minute Zoom to discuss your project. The photo above, by Max James Fallon, shows me holding a picture of my much younger self

The art of revision allows us to go deeper, think in ways we otherwise could not, and make our writing better. The secret to great writing is revision. Revising our writing allows us to go deeper, think in ways we otherwise could not, and make our work stronger and more readable. This is... The dance of writing and rewriting Think of writing and rewriting as two entirely distinct modes. Mode 1: Writing As you write from inside memory or imagination... -Write with abandon & let the writing take you wherever it will -Don’t censor -Don’t overthink Mode 2: Rewriting The trick is to step outside what you wrote and ask: “How will a reader/audience member receive this?” -Totally different mindset -Try to read what you’ve written as if you are someone else -Ask yourself: “What do I, the reader/audience member, need?” -Be bold in revision -Treat the draft not as sacred, but as source material What good rewriting requires: A total shift in orientation! Can be jarring Can be fun! Ideally, you find a looseness & freedom in revision (a freedom totally different from that of the original writing) Question: So after rewriting, how do I get back inside my work? - Consciously shift mode - Don’t need to forget what you learned when you stepped outside your work - But let yourself find the energy of freedom & exploration again! Want more? Read my 7 Rules for Revising Your Writing

"The most important Jewish play of our time." - Rabbi Dan Goldblatt Meet the characters in the play... Read reviews... Book the show... RABBI SAM tells the story of a man who wants to reinvent American Judaism, and the congregation that hires him. Some people love the new rabbi. Some can’t stand him. And, of course, some can’t stand each other. Charlie plays all 12 characters, including the rabbi and eight contentious board members. Funny, moving, bursting with energy and ideas, RABBI SAM is a play for Jews, Gentiles and anyone who has ever attended a meeting. RABBI SAM was developed with and directed by David Ford, Charlie's collaborator of 18 years. Music composed by Bruce Barth. RABBI SAM premiered at The Marsh in March 2009 to audience and critical acclaim, ran for six sold-out months, and is now available for booking .

< Back #12 An Experiment Goes Amok, feat. Studs Terkel & Oliver Sacks May 20, 2024 Written & performed by Charlie Varon Collaboration: David Ford Special thanks to J.P. Tilleman Studs Terkel & Oliver Sacks - An experiment goes amok 00:00 / 04:53 Keep the bonbons coming! Email me when the next one is ready! Email Subscribe Attention, writers and performers: I have openings for mentoring/coaching starting in February. Previous Next

5 mistakes writers and speakers can easily avoid \ Charlie Varon Mentor, Coach, Asshole for speakers, writers, performers You do not have the right to bore your audience What I will do Make your piece shorter & more compelling If you have any sense of humor at all, I will make what you do funnier What I will not do Tell you how great you are / b low sunshine up your ass Waste your time making tiny inconsequential changes to your piece Interested? If you'd like to find out more about my coaching/mentoring/assholing, email me to set up a free 20" consultation. Need to know more? Read my piece "5 Worst Mistakes writers and speakers make" Read my bio

< Back #3 Alan Watts, "Be in (and beware) the moment" Satire, Pranks and Other Comic Bonbons September 6, 2023 I'm in the shower, talking to myself. Or, really, Alan Watts is doing the talking. Watts was the British lecturer who introduced Eastern religion to the American counterculture in the 1960s. Watts has been dead since 1973, but I love his voice and it's a very entertaining shower. I get out and text my collaborator, David Ford, and my favorite sound engineer, Jason Reinier. On the appointed evening, we all show up at the studio and I start doing the material I'd been working up in the shower. I improvise, David and Jason throw suggestions at me, I flail. Then David throws me a real curveball. PS: If you've never heard the real Alan Watts, here's a taste . Alan Watts - Be in (and beware) the moment 00:00 / 04:45 Keep the bonbons coming! Email me when the next one is ready! Email Subscribe Previous Next

Writing from a theater pov What writers can learn from theater people 1. A book is not a thing. It is an experience. We actors see when the audience is slumping or sleeping. Writers don’t see the reader put down your book forever. 2. The audience teaches you. What’s alive? What’s dead? What’s stuck? What’s waiting to be discovered? 3. Energy, energy, energy. In every story, at every moment, energy is either building or waning. Ditch your perfect plan and follow the energy. 4. Be ruthless and playful. Cut ruthlessly. Then take what’s left, write it again, and surprise the hell out of yourself. 5. Get “investors.” People you trust. Who will help you not quit. Who will be your first audience, and give you non-stupid comments. 6. Read your fucking work aloud! Even to yourself. Especially to yourself. And pause. And gesture. Yes, gesture. 7. Iterate intelligently. Don’t work in isolation for months on end. Find a director, or a collaborator, and set a "rehearsal schedule" for the next 1-3 months.

< Back #4 Mitch's Silence Satire, Pranks and Other Comic Bonbons September 26, 2023 "Mitch's Silence," featuring Studs Terkel & Dr. Oliver Sacks I can't stop thinking about Sen. Mitch McConnell and that news conference, the one where he froze and went silent for 30 seconds. Then my friend Jim Rosenau sends me a link. It's to an old radio show. Studs Terkel, champion interviewer, is talking to beloved neurologist Dr. Oliver Sacks. Both men are gone now, but Jim knows how much I love their voices. "A twofer," Jim says. I listen to the interview, then start doing their voices, just riffing to myself, which makes me exceedingly happy. Then the question poses itself: McConnell's silence + Studs Terkel + Oliver Sacks = ? I rough something out, call David Ford, and we get going. As is often the case, the best details come from David's fertile comic mind. Mitch's Silence 00:00 / 04:52 Keep the bonbons coming! Email me when the next one is ready! Email Subscribe Previous Next