In the Final Hours
I had written twenty, maybe thirty, pages of my first draft when I had the idea of setting the climax at a theme party. I thought it would be fun to put my characters into costumes and get them in…
Taking a Lesson from Moonlight
A few weeks ago, when I walked out of the theater after seeing Moonlight, I experienced a feeling akin to what I felt three days ago when I closed the cover of Zadie Smith’s Swing Time and sat back and…
Ambushed by Beauty
The members of my writing critique group comment on my manuscript. That’s what they’re there for: to offer suggestions, to help steer me in the right direction and to give me their gut reaction to my work. Most of the…
‘Tis the Season for Discipline
Fortunate are the writers whose first germ of a novel is a plotline, a concept, a scene, or a theme – ideas that provide a starting point, the bare bones, a guide. Then there’s me. Having grown up in Wisconsin with…
Prioritizing my Writing (and the Whippets)
“If it is important to you, you will find a way. If not, you’ll find an excuse.” ~Unknown
Aspiring Novelist Seeks Occasional Company at Some Point
Tell Us About Yourself: In my free time, I read obituaries. You should also know that I have insomnia, especially when my word count is too low, or I’ve spent the previous five hours staring at a blank page, or…