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
What I read in 2013
I had this crazy notion that I would read 100 books this past year. I have no idea what I was thinking. Who do I think I am? In reality, I read only 24 books, which is about 1 book every couple weeks. Life is busy. What can I say? Here are the books I — 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
Christmas, writer style
Call me a cynic, but I agree with E.M. Forster on this one: Every year, I wrestle with the meaning of Christmas. I get so overwhelmed and stressed out by the notion of “the perfect gift” for all the people I love. My usual fantasy is of going on a trip during Christmas, to avoid — 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
My grandma, writer?
About a month ago (my how time flies), my grandma passed away. She took her health very seriously and we all used to say, “If anyone is going to live forever, it will be Grandma Helen.” So, on the day she died, we were surprised. Outsiders may think it wouldn’t be a shock because she — Read More
Weird writing habits of famous authors
Last week, I came across a great post on Flavorwire: “Weird Writing Habits of Famous Authors.” I can’t say that I have any especially weird habits. I do prefer to write longhand before going to the keyboard. I guess that’s a little weird. [Sidenote: Did anyone else hear that they’re no longer teaching cursive writing — Read More