The Writing Life

(source) I spent a few short days in Boston last week as a guest to the Solstice MFA in Writing at Pine Manor College program. Although I’ve taught students with graduate degrees before, it [...]

Dear Friends, Tuesday, May 27th marks the one-year anniversary of the publication of Flashes of War. In celebration, I’m dubbing this day BOOK EVENT #52 and conducting it  from the [...]

Last month in Alaska, I had a few readings in the smaller towns around Anchorage. Little did I know that, when the dates were booked, it was the first weekend of spring break. Add crystal clear [...]

Maybe hitting 35 comes paired with this for everyone, but lately it feels as though managing some of the basics of my own life has become a full time job. Toss in losing 15 pounds and finding a [...]

Read Part 1 and the first draft right here.Without further a-do, let’s see how Idella opens scenes, adds and enriches detail, characterizes her father more fully, uses reflection, and [...]

Some readers may or may not know that one of the ways I support myself is by offering mentoring and critique services to students across the United States. Typically, these are adults who have [...]

I’ve been doing a bit of inspired revision of my own, lately. It’s a whirlwind of finishing touches and final drafts, of performances and huge crowds. Summer Arts Camp comes to a [...]

It’s been a whirlwind 10 days. First, driving 900 miles north for the summer at Interlochen. Second, directing the Writer’s Retreat (joyful, fulfilling, and…busy). Third, [...]

I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about aspirations, or, what I consider to be a mindset that involves a balance between goal-setting and honest intentions. An aspiration is [...]

Sometimes, a person says something and it hits you over the head because it feels instantly true, although perhaps you have never put words to it yourself. This afternoon, while listening to an [...]