I emailed a new novel to my agent two days ago. Done! Finished. At least for now. If she deems it…
When I was a kid, I wrote letters. Real letters. By hand. Sometimes chain letters. Who has time for that…
“Restless Leg Syndrome? Oh, that’s an electrolyte imbalance,” said a doctor-friend. “Just drink Gatorade.” I shrugged. Couldn’t hurt. So I…
I want to pass along an exercise I led earlier this month at a high school Writers Fest. I asked…
I was thrilled when James River Writers (JRW) asked me to interview Kathryn Erskine in advance of the JRW conference…
When you tell a joke, you have to remember the punch line before you tell it, or you won’t get…
Novelist Elmore Leonard passed away this month, leaving behind forty-some books and his “Ten Rules of Writing.” I agree with…
I learn a ton when I interview my characters. Over the years, I’ve compiled a set of questions for them,…
This past February while writing a new scene, a character showed up, whispered to my protagonist, “We have safe houses…
How and where is it best to enter into a particular story—which moment, which sounds and which smells should a…