1,000,000 Words
The other day I was talking to my partner, Todd, as we commuted on the MBTA (red line represent!) He asked how many books I’d written. I began the sophisticated process of counting on my hands. Nine. I’ve written (not…
Letter to Paula J.
Dear Ms. J., We’ve never met each other, but several years ago you took the time to send me a handwritten note regarding my story, Every Bird Casts a Shadow, after I submitted it to The Sun. You were kind…
Dynamic Setting
“The setting is like a character.” It’s a strange phrase, when you think about it, but it’s one I hear increasingly often in workshop. And so lately I’ve been wondering what people really mean by this, for setting to be “like…
Finding True North (even when it is called South)
Let us suppose that an era comes, an era of undetermined length, where words come unmoored from meaning. A word like “compassionate” say. No problem. Easy enough to hang onto the definition: To be compassionate is to both understand and…
7 Things I Learned From Writing My First Novel Draft
In 2016, I finished the first draft of my novel. Here’s a few nuggets of wisdom, for those embarking on their first drafts.
YA Wednesday: Racism and Sexuality
Rather than shy away from hot-button issues, YA fiction tends to do the opposite and embrace them. Why not? Young people aren’t afraid to deal with Uncomfortable Truths and Difficult Conversations. Some of the best, most cutting-edge YA books deal…