You may (or may not) have noticed that things have gotten a little… quiet around here. For a while my web site was shut down completely. I’ve had technical difficulties to work through, and I’ve had life difficulties to work… Continue Reading
A few months ago, I heard Sandra Huertes, a memoirist, speak. She said this: Don’t give yourself over to the fickleness of the publishing industry. Be in love with the writing, not the approval of the writing. Write what you… Continue Reading
Life is loud. And because of the loudness in our lives and minds, it’s often difficult to find the time for silence. When was the last time you sat, on purpose, in quiet for any length of time? Silence is… Continue Reading
Do it! Don’t do it! I see this thing that happens in the writing world. Someone poses a question about writing and there are two responses. There are the ones who say, “Well, you shouldn’t do…” or “Agents don’t like… Continue Reading
This is the true story of how I won NaNoWriMo in 15 days while being a full-time employee, graduate student, freelancer, blogger, wife, and mother (and still had time to read). It started as a kind of dare, a… Continue Reading
Nope, it’s not a curse word. If someone shouts, “BICFOK” at you, you shouldn’t be offended. (Unless they’re not a writer—then they might have meant something else.) But you should do what they say because BICFOK is an abbreviation for… Continue Reading
A writer needs many things. Ideas, a mastery of language, an understanding of grammar and punctuation, a medium with which to write, and the time to actually do the writing. But there are two things far more important than knowing… Continue Reading
Sometimes I think about giving up. It’s usually one of those days where, for whatever reason, I’ve encountered some form of rejection (or perceived rejection) in regards to my writing. But not always. It’s just as easy to think… Continue Reading
Is writing hard? Edna O’ Brien asked me this once. At a residency during my MFA, Edna O’Brien, author of The Country Girls, asked what I thought was a rhetorical question. Then she kept looking at me. The room grew… Continue Reading
About a year and a half ago, I became obsessed with nail art. It was a season in my life where I was stressed in every area. I couldn’t escape it at work, I couldn’t escape it at home, and… Continue Reading
