As I got older, I thought life would get simpler. I’d go to work. I’d come home. I’d read away the hours. In my thirties, I discovered writing (well, rediscovered it after a particularly unhelpful, James Joyce-loving professor told me…
How Not to Write I used to keep a book on my shelf to remind myself how not to write. The book, call it Stricken, consisted of a collection of essays on the author’s recent widowhood. She had written it perhaps…
Last week, I implored everyone to get busy. Personally, I screwed the pooch on just about every writing goal. Rather than force it, I took a break to catch up on great books. Restorative and instructive! Plus, it motivates me to get…
You’ve just published your first book. You’re brimming with happiness, ready to send your darling out into the world. You know that publishers don’t have time to devote their full attention to each and every book they publish, or perhaps…
We’re coming ’round the snow mountain and the February of Doom. I love March and its hope for renewal and warmth. Some of my favorite people on the planet were born in March. It’s the only month that works as…
I don’t have nightmares about showing up for a college exam having not studied. My palms don’t sweat at the idea of getting onto an airplane. Spiders don’t send me into a conniption fit. But ask me what books would…