I love my family and my teaching life, but sometimes they feel like they’re going to squash me. At the worst of times, it’s like people are grabbing chunks of me and carting them off, and at the end of the day, all that remains is a pile of vibrating nerves that no one else …
The blank page is a writer’s worse enemy. How many times have we sat frozen, staring at a blur of white space? It amazes me to hear famous authors have suffered this fate. The whole “get back on the bike” analogy doesn’t apply, or maybe we get back on-write a few lines-only to fall off …
WRITING FORMALLY vs FREELY As a college professor, I wrote three successful textbooks and many scholarly articles. Quite frankly, I found academic writing to be tedious. Still, from the drafting, editing, redrafting and proofing, I learned the discipline to pace myself, accept criticism, and write clearly and concisely. Once retired, my audience and focus changed. …
I was chatting to a woman I met at a party and I asked what she did for a living. She was in medical equipment sales and her voice became low and sorrowful adding, “I will probably do this the rest of my life.” What was she lamenting? I looked at her and said, “Never …
Autumn evokes warm memories for me growing up on the east coast. Leaves change from green to crimson and bright yellow, delicious air brisk and soothing. My perennial October joy ended abruptly in 1993 when I became that one out of seven women diagnosed with breast cancer. It’s also when I noticed the color pink. …
The bottom leaves few options. Whether you’re starting a novel or stuck somewhere in between, consider yourself at the bottom. Daunting I know. And counter intuitive. Yet the bottom leaves only one direction. Up. Underground tunnels often lead nowhere. Writing seems that way sometimes. I’ve found myself huddled over my laptop, moving in circles. I …
MASTERFUL THINKING Authors, like James Patterson and Stephen King, have gotten into the business of selling “their knowledge,” claiming they have the secrets which will make you a successful writer. Okay, they don’t actually promise that, but the assumption is well. Follow him/her and you, too, will be a well-known author! NEWSFLASH! IT DOESN’T WORK THAT WAY Masters …
I LEARNED THREE RULES of writing when I was a beginning writer. Rule #1:Writing takes discipline. It’s a job, not a hobby. To be an author, you need to dedicate X number of hours per day to your craft. Rule #2:You don’t need to be inspired to write. If you stare at your blank screen (or …
A GREAT STORY… that is the driving force behind why most people write. Next, comes the inspiration, “I can do it!” Thus, a writer is born. All the excitement pumps through your veins as you tap away, in the wee hours of the night, not telling anyone you have the next Great American Novel. You imagine yourself …
Forty years ago, I wrote down three life goals as part of a seminar exercise. I only remember two of those goals: to have all my novels published and own a car that worked. There was one problem. I hadn’t written any novels. I was a working a chapbook of my poetry at the time. The Last …