I’m not writing. At all. I mean, I’m writing for work, but that’s an entirely different animal. I’m enjoying that animal. I just haven’t felt any need or desire to write fiction. This truth has been looming for a while, but it really hit me today when I passed by a car with a bumper — Read More
Regarding rejection slips
Oh, Snoopy, I feel ya.
Why do we read?
This hits the proverbial nail on the head.
A little Christmas story
When I entered the USC Master’s of Writing program, I’d never written a short story. I’d always worked on novels. I had the opportunity to take a class with the wonderful Shelley Berman (he’s an amazing comedian and you may know him best for playing Larry David’s dad on Curb Your Enthusiasm). That’s when I — Read More
Who agrees?
Saw this today at Skylight Books. I was with one of my best friends, who is also an avid reader. We both just nodded.
To outline, or not to outline
When people ask me my favorite book of all time, I struggle with naming just one. I provide a list, and Slaughterhouse-Five is always on that list. This past weekend, I organized my book shelf, as I tend to do when I have a stretch of free time and am trying to avoid Swiffering my — Read More
ePublishing Success Story: Stephanie Walker
I met Stephanie Walker before she became Stephanie Walker. She was Stephanie Weinert, engaged to Bob Walker. We were both in the USC Master’s of Professional Writing program, struggling to keep up with deadlines, churning out plays, short stories, novel ideas. She was also planning a wedding. Over a year or two, I became good — Read More
For those uninspired days…
I see this as a more violent take on the phrase, “Necessity is the mother of invention.”
Confessions of an unpublished novelist
Sometimes I think it would be liberating if all my old manuscript pages went up in flames. When I say, “I’m researching,” it’s just code for, “I’m not writing.” I go months “researching.” There are moments when my characters totally perplex me. Those moments are terrifying. If I want to bail on a social event, — Read More
Why do we write?
I’ve asked myself this question often, sometimes with a tone of calm curiosity, sometimes with absolute frustration. What I come back to time and time again is this: I just enjoy writing. When I was a kid, this basic fact was complicated by another fact: I was good at writing. With that came well-meaning people — Read More