Blog
What Do I Write Next?
Writers frequently come to me and say: “I have three ideas. Which one should I write next?”In the 90-day workshops, one of
April 26, 2024
No Comments
The Writing Process
Most popular posts
If your narrative drive is stalling, your protagonist could be missing the most vital engine for character transformation: a powerful...
A character sheet template can be the difference between a character who feels real on the page and one who...
Have you ever found yourself comparing the length of your manuscript to other books, and wondering if you’ve written too...
Rhythm is one of those craft issues that writers talk around without really discussing. They might lump it in with...
Is there value in joining a critique circle? Writing is one of the most solitary of all professions. You sit...
Avoiding plagiarism seems like a simple task: Just don’t steal someone else’s work. But when you’re immersed in research with...
All writing carries something of the writer within it, but few forms are as intimate as the stories we tell...
There’s rhythm in prose. The rhythm might be intentionally terse, like a Charles Bukowski novel, or dense and languid like...
“No one is free until we are all free.”– Martin Luther King Jr. It is human nature to search for...
I was a half decent 800-meter runner in high school, not great, but I ran with a lot of heart,...
Every writer has their own way of working, a process that has to be developed and honed over many years....
Write what you know. We’ve heard this so often. But what does it mean? Does it mean that if I...
Blog
Choose Love
In every story, love is the mystery that is always on the table. In the beginning of your story, the question may
February 1, 2024
No Comments
Blog
Passion
“I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.” – Albert Einstein What do you feel passionate about? What is your
January 28, 2024
No Comments
Blog
The Inner Critic
“Don’t worry about what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs
January 19, 2024
No Comments
Blog
Hope
Have you ever seen a dog waiting for their master at a window — their wet nose pressed against the glass, eyes
January 1, 2024
No Comments
Blog
There are No Ugly Trees
“Remember always that you not only have the right to be an individual, you have an obligation to be one.” – Eleanor
November 2, 2023
No Comments
Blog
Stay Out of the Result
For any writer, here’s a question to ask yourself: “Why do I want to write this?” A student told me recently that
October 6, 2023
5 Comments
Blog
On Certainty in Writing
There is a particular comfort that comes from being certain. We can shut out the world, with all of its noise and
September 29, 2023
No Comments
Blog
How to Master Storytelling: Ask the Right Questions
“It is a parable of art that, to be universal, you must be specific. Otherwise, you are just talking about an abstraction.
February 10, 2023
No Comments
Blog
Writing When You Have Nothing to Lose
Have you ever experienced great loss? Whether it was a parent, spouse, or friend, the experience pulls you sharply into the present
January 24, 2023
2 Comments
Blog
Myths that Prevent You from Writing
There are myths that prevent you from not only completing your story, but keep you from even getting started. Some of these
January 14, 2023
No Comments
Blog
You Are Uniquely Qualified
It seems it should go without saying that you are uniquely qualified to write your memoir. And yet, the voices lurk at
December 2, 2022
No Comments
Blog
Discovering Your Process
Finding Your Way As you write each day, you discover your own process. You begin to see there is no “right way”
November 18, 2022
No Comments
Blog
But That’s What Really Happened
“I’ve given my memoirs far more thought than any of my marriages. You can’t divorce a book.“—Gloria Swanson Sticking to “What Really
October 1, 2022
No Comments
Novel / Fiction
Trusting the Process
Be open to possibilities When I wrote my first novel Diamond Dogs, I had the idea that my hero, a high school senior,
September 2, 2022
No Comments
Blog
Playing on the Page
When there is a story problem you can’t solve, or there appears to be no way out for your characters, remember one
May 1, 2022
No Comments
Blog
Surrender to Your Story
Our story asks everything of us. If it didn’t, we would never surrender. How often do we live our lives as though
February 11, 2022
2 Comments
Blog
Writing Without Distraction
You’ve begun working in earnest. The story is alive, your cylinders are firing. You’re getting up every morning and putting in the
January 28, 2022
No Comments
Recent posts
Writers frequently come to me and say: “I have three ideas. Which one should I write next?”In the 90-day workshops,...
In every story, love is the mystery that is always on the table. In the beginning of your story, the...
“I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.” – Albert Einstein What do you feel passionate about? What...
“Don’t worry about what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the...
Have you ever seen a dog waiting for their master at a window — their wet nose pressed against the...
“Remember always that you not only have the right to be an individual, you have an obligation to be one.”...
For any writer, here’s a question to ask yourself: “Why do I want to write this?” A student told me...
There is a particular comfort that comes from being certain. We can shut out the world, with all of its...
“It is a parable of art that, to be universal, you must be specific. Otherwise, you are just talking about...
Have you ever experienced great loss? Whether it was a parent, spouse, or friend, the experience pulls you sharply into...
There are myths that prevent you from not only completing your story, but keep you from even getting started. Some...
It seems it should go without saying that you are uniquely qualified to write your memoir. And yet, the voices...
Finding Your Way As you write each day, you discover your own process. You begin to see there is no...
“I’ve given my memoirs far more thought than any of my marriages. You can’t divorce a book.“—Gloria Swanson Sticking to...
Be open to possibilities When I wrote my first novel Diamond Dogs, I had the idea that my hero, a...
When there is a story problem you can’t solve, or there appears to be no way out for your characters,...
Our story asks everything of us. If it didn’t, we would never surrender. How often do we live our lives...
You’ve begun working in earnest. The story is alive, your cylinders are firing. You’re getting up every morning and putting...
