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What is Success?
“The unexamined life is not worth living.” – Socrates Years ago, I was on the phone with a prospective student, and he
May 16, 2024
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The Writing Process
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Tension can arise from anywhere — in a simple conversation, a family dinner, a job interview, or even with a...
Have you ever read a book and come across a word you’d never heard or seen before? At first, you...
Fourth person point of view is a unique and rarely used perspective in stories. First person gives us “I.” Second...
A character’s introduction is one of the most important parts of your story. Done well, your reader can make a...
Learning how to write a fight scene isn’t really about choreography. It’s about tension and what’s truly at stake for...
There is no “correct” approach to point of view in literature. Your sole consideration is how you want your reader...
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...
Every writer has their own way of working, a process that has to be developed and honed over many years....
I was a half decent 800-meter runner in high school, not great, but I ran with a lot of heart,...
Write what you know. We’ve heard this so often. But what does it mean? Does it mean that if I...
Blog
One True Moment
“Where did that come from?” I believe there is something we writers are collectively seeking. We are all attempting to convey an
May 1, 2024
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Recent posts
“The unexamined life is not worth living.” – Socrates Years ago, I was on the phone with a prospective student,...
“Where did that come from?” I believe there is something we writers are collectively seeking. We are all attempting to...
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,...