Scents and Sensibility
I lost nearly all my sense of smell when I was eight. One day my socks itched and the next day I was allergic to seemingly everything including “all grasses in the world,” the grim doctor intoned, putting the kybosh…
When the Black Dog Bites: How to Write When You’re Depressed
The cliché of the depressed writer can seem almost romantic to someone who has never tried to put pen to paper or been in the thrall of senseless emotional suffering. But for those of us who wish to write, depression…
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…
Promises, Promises: Our Favorite Protagonists’ New Year’s Resolutions
Go Figure: Musings from the Mind of Rob Wilstein It’s that time of year again; another cycle complete, the slate wiped clean. Sports clubs memberships proliferate and diet workshops thrive. Liquor sales dip (except on the Cape) and health food…