Category: The Writing Life

How to Write in an Age of Anxiety

Yeah, I know. For those whose work lives aren’t considered “vital” during the pandemic (and why are there so many of us?), there’s plenty out there telling you how to buckle down and get work done at home—and some of…

The Growth of a Writer, or Two

I love my friend’s kid, who is now a freshman, studying creative writing at university. As a junior-high and high-school student, they wrote stories and sent them to me, asking for feedback. Other than the recent dystopic play about a…

Nine Circles of Literary Agent Hell

Note: GrubStreet’s Muse and the Marketplace is cancelled this year due to Covid-19. I’ve screwed up so many Manuscript Mart meetings at GrubStreet’s Muse and the Marketplace conference, I’ve been through Hell. I have been disconsolate, heard Satan’s calumnies, been…

Interview with John Vercher, Author of Three-Fifths

John Vercher’s debut, Three-Fifths, is a riveting crime story told with touches of poetry, razor-sharp characterizations, and the sort of cinematic pacing that keeps you on the edge of your seat. It’s also a powerful narrative about family, friendship, and…