The Creative Process
When my son, Ray, was first learning to speak, there were so many new words each day — the syntax often fascinating […]
Sell Your Novel to the Movies
When I did a book tour for my first novel, someone asked, “Have you sold the film rights?” And when I said […]
Trust
I grew up in a very bright, academic family, but at times I felt alone. My family members were very logical, reasonable […]
Memoir: Personal & Universal
The challenge in writing a memoir is that self-examination is not typically meant to be shared. The goal in writing a dynamic […]
Weights & Measures
Proximity Do our characters have to be two thousand miles apart, or three miles apart? If we are trying to convey a […]
Simplicity
Forward, he cried From the rear And the front ranks died. Pink Floyd (Us and Them) We can tell a whole […]
Dilemma: The Source of Your Story
At the heart of every story lies a dilemma. It is not a question of whether or not your protagonist has a […]
Writing the Forbidden
“Freedom of speech and freedom of expression are so ingrained in our society we rarely stop to think about it. I can […]
Backstory
“The past is prologue.” – William Shakespeare When we are stuck, it is inevitably because some part of our backstory is unclear. […]
Choice
Why do we write? Why do we spend months, years, even decades engaged in the solitary act of creating a world on […]
The Arc of a Scene
“I exhort you also to take part in the great combat, which is the combat of life, and greater than every other […]
Staying Connected to the Source
“To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle, requires creative imagination.” – Albert Einstein The rewrite […]
