Places for People Watching: Public Transit

In my younger and more vulnerable years, a writing instructor gave me a piece of advice I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since: “Be careful,” she said.  “Every time that you interact with another person, you’re entering into…

Voice Lessons for Writers

My daughter first sang in public when she was three years old. I can still see her in a dark-flowered dress, fearlessly belting out “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” in a husky voice that someone once referred to as a whiskey…

The Secrets to Becoming a Writer

Stories, with their powers to transport us to distant lands and imagine ourselves as others, are magical. But I’ll tell you a secret. The writing of stories is not magic. Writers are regular people. They are regular people who are…