Somehow, despite being busy, I finished editing my book–for now (will there ever be a day when I don’t caveat this with “for now”?). If you asked me how this happened, I would say, “Slowly. One day at a time, AA style.” Or, as Anne Lamott would say, “bird by bird.” I re-read Anne Lamott’s — Read More
Category: Writing Process
Why it’s good to write when you’re busy: Part II
I wrote Part I (not knowing it would have a Part II) in February of 2013. Meaning, I’ve been f-ing busy for over a year. A crazy work schedule, family stuff, weekend trips, wedding planning, honeymoon planning, and a couple half marathons (with the requisite weeks of training) has made it difficult to find any — Read More
Running and writing
I never used to be a runner. In fact, I used to think runners were crazy. As in, certifiably insane. I wanted to attend races with a sign that read, in big red letters, “WHAT ARE YOU RUNNING FROM?” So, I state sheepishly that I have become a runner. It started with 5Ks. That 3-mile — Read More
On time
In this epically long phase of editing my novel, my biggest stumbling block has been figuring out how to deal with time in my book. Yes, time. My story takes place over several decades and, obviously, I’m not going to show every moment of those decades. I’m not even going to show a snippet of — Read More
Can you just…quit?
Trust me, I’ve considered it many times. I’ve been frustrated with an agent, the publishing process in general, my characters, the feedback I get from the kind readers of my first drafts. I’ve wanted to throw in the proverbial towel. And, frankly, I have. I’ve gone months without writing a single line of fiction. I — Read More
Words of wisdom from Neil Gaiman
Need some inspiration on a Monday? Try this: Two of my favorite excerpts: …”a life in the arts is sometimes like putting messages in bottles, on a desert island, and hoping that someone will find one of your bottles and open it and read it, and put something in a bottle that will wash its — Read More
On demons
There’s this quote in the “Salinger” documentary that has been sticking with me for weeks: Part of me wants to argue with Mr. Orwell and say that writing is not horrible at all. It’s fun and joyous. And, that’s true–sometimes. After all, I started writing as a wee kid for pure entertainment. I remind myself — Read More
Rules (and resolutions) for writing
Have you seen Elmore Leonard’s 10 rules of writing? It’s a good, practical list. I highly recommend checking it out. Some gems: Never use a verb other than ‘said’ to carry dialogue Never use an adverb to modify the verb ‘said’ Keep exclamation marks under control Avoid detailed descriptions of characters Don’t go into great — Read More
What you might not know about Salinger
A few days ago, I watched the documentary “Salinger”–about the life of J.D. Salinger. It’s become overly common these days to say that Catcher in the Rye changed my life, but whatever–it changed my life, as a writer and a person. Before I read that book, I didn’t know writers and characters could be so — Read More
On gratitude
I should have posted this a few days ago, but I was happily occupied with Thanksgiving festivities and then occupied with Christmas shopping. Needless to say, I didn’t do any writing over the holiday weekend. I did, however, decide that I should commit to writing at the desk in our office/third bedroom. Writing in front — Read More