One Dog at a Time
I got my first dog, Zoe, in 2012 at a time when I was trying to finish a draft of my novel in order to apply to the Incubator program. Zoe was a good dog and a very easy puppy….
Thank You, Junior High
All my favorite books come from a “deep place of junior high trauma.”* From Harriet the Spy to The Outsiders, right on up through Rick Moody’s Purple America and Strout’s Olive Kitteridge. Picture Olive at eleven. She has huge feet….
Red Rover, Red Rover, Send My Next Novel Right Over!
My current novel revision ends in July. Full stop. Do not pass the revision mark again until the good lady (or lord, should it come to that) says so. Am I pleased? I am pleased! I know that revision doesn’t…
Happy Indie Story, Part Three: Smells Like Team Spirit
Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about teams. This is partly because Lorde’s song “Team” has been on repeat in my head. But it’s also because I was recently asked why I chose to work with an editor before sending…
Useful Metaphors
‘Kill your darlings,’ the writing teacher’s commandment for which this site is named, is a most useful and robust metaphor. It doesn’t just tell writers to mistrust themselves when they become especially enamored of a bit of their writing, but…
Adventures in Titling: Part One
When I tell people that coming up with a title for my book rates just above a drilling session at the dentist they look at me like I’m crazy. “Really?” they say. “The title?” I hear what they’re thinking. Creating…