• My Next Novel

    I haven’t written a single word of my Next Novel*. Not one. I first had the idea a couple years ago and made all kinds of notes, littering my digital desktop with files bearing names I’ve long since forgotten and my literal desktop with scraps of paper that may have disappeared during a recent, apartment-wide clean-and-purge effort meant to stem the tide of a growing existential unease. It’s a good book idea. Maybe a great one. And for some inexplicable reason, I’m reminded of it every time I wash my hands in my bedroom sink. Yes, I have a bedroom sink. Two, actually. The master bedroom in my apartment is…

  • A Million Words

    It took me two decades to find a modicum of confidence as a writer. (Or four if you count all the years when I was writing, but without a goal of someday becoming a published writer.) Hidden away on a hard drive somewhere are dozens of short stories, four novels and one sad screenplay – more than a million words – that have been retroactively classified as “practice” writing. They didn’t start out that way. I didn’t sit down to write a practice novel. I sat down to write a novel. Driven by hope and madness, I started putting one word after another. Some days I felt certain, most days…

  • What to Expect From Your Editor

    I hear you’re interested in hiring an editor. Smart move. So what are you waiting for? Grab your checkbook (do those still exist?), your manuscript, and your realistic expectations and get to it. What’s that? You don’t know what to expect? Here. I’ll help. Ten Things Your Editor Can Do Your editor can see what your novel could be someday, no matter what it looks like today. Your editor can show you all the little pet phrases and words you repeat to distraction. Your editor can solve plot problems that would make readers want to throw your book into a woodchipper. Your editor can point out all the ways your…

  • Life (Or Something Like It)

    I hesitated before deciding to write this post, not because of the words that follow, but because this is a writing blog, and a personal post about my life just seemed a little indulgent. But then I remembered good writing is all about tapping into truth, and what could possibly be truer than the life we’re living? Well, mine has been…interesting. Some of you know that last May I took on the responsibility of caring full-time for my Granddaughter, Harper. (She turned five in December, three days after Christmas. I know, right? December birthdays. Sigh. think I’ll introduce half-birthdays this year.) The first two months or so, I dedicated my time 24/7…

  • Still Here…

    Just stopping by to let you know I haven’t abandoned you. I’m just still super-busy with editing projects, as well as caring for my granddaughter, Harper. I have more things to say, and I’ll say them when I can. Meanwhile, read the archives, write your books, and eat lots of [insert your favorite food here].

  • Dear Reader Who Didn’t Love My Book…

    Dear Reader Who Didn’t Love My Book, First of all, thank you. You took a risk on me. I really appreciate that. Asking a stranger to read your novel is just about the hardest thing we writers have to do. (Apart from writing query letters.) So when someone actually decides to purchase a book, we experience a rare and wonderful gratitude that you decided to take the plunge. A rare and wonderful gratitude that is quickly buried by an avalanche of anxiety. See, here’s the thing: I want to have written the book just for you. I do. But there’s a good chance I didn’t. It’s not that I don’t respect your personal taste…

  • One of the Greats

    I haven’t posted here in a while, and I suspect it will be a while yet before I give you a helpful writerly post. But I have posted on my other blog, the creative writing one. It’s a tribute to the man who, along with his wife, inspired my love for stories: my father. Feel free to read about him. You’ll wish you’d known him. Superhero (A True Story)