The Writing Life

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 [...]

The best part about hiring a coypeditor besides being provided with peace of mind that I’ve done all I can to make my manuscript as design-ready as possible, is the fact that I learned [...]

I’ve been putting this post off for a long time, though the hatch marks sizzled into my brain over the past eight months with a permanence that still smarts. Nineteen months into my two-year [...]