Happy first Friday of December. All those tasks put off last week have to be dealt with this week. On top of workload grumpiness, I suspect everyone is super cranky this week because they’re off their normal feeding schedules, like…
In her recent essay, “On Pandering,” Claire Vaye Watkins records the shock of discovering that she wrote, primarily, for old white men, members of the literati like Franzen, Roth, et al whose approval she sought and to whose tastes and…
How do you know when your novel is finished and ready to ship off to agent-land? Planning for this big move has similarities to selling a house or apartment you’ve lovingly furnished and decorated and made your own over the…
You’ve had your fun, and your belly is full. Now, it’s time to get back to work, or keep the momentum going from NaNoWriMo. With more holidays on the horizon, it’s easy to slip into languor and laziness. Or you…
I’m going to keep this short so you can get back to your turkey, your pumpkin pie, your pinot noir, your attempts to ignore your racist uncle, back to the bathroom where you hide to regain your composure and your…
I spend a lot of time gazing longingly at photos of delicious dishes to make for Thanksgiving: Brussels sprouts with cranberries and hazelnuts, maple custard, something with figs or chestnuts. But when it comes down to it I always make…