Planning Vs Process When I taught high school, I’d have a semester plan, broken down into unit plans, broken down again into daily lesson plans. It helped me stay organized, but every time I finished one plan, I’d be looking … Continue reading →

Imagination Creation Sometime I get overwhelmed with my own imagination. New story ideas are always popping into my head; plot ideas, characters, or even just titles. They’re fun to run with, but for a long time, I felt guilty.  Ideas … Continue reading →

New Year’s Resolutions–Or Not I am ambivalent about New Year’s resolutions. If I make them, I go all in! And I have succeeded: walking outside every single day of the year; reading across wider genres; cutting back on sugar. I … Continue reading →

Boundaries and Boxing Day We talk a lot about boundaries as writers. How do we set boundaries for our own writing time? Our own space? How do we give all of ourselves in our craft, without giving all of ourselves, period?  … Continue reading →

What The Future May Bring Recently I found myself back at a hotel a year after my first visit. It was strange because when I’d left, I never expected to go back. We’d gone there for a convention, and without the convention, … Continue reading →

Black Holes and Other Mysteries My daughter is interested in physics—something about which I know less than nothing—so when she tried to explain her understanding of black holes, I was stumped.  “You know, sweetie, you got 98 percent on your … Continue reading →

What’s In OUR Control It’s obvious that “bestseller” and “best author” are not the same thing—though, of course they could be. Sales aren’t solely the result of quality writing; a big name, established reputation, or industry insiders rooting for you can change the … Continue reading →

The Villain in Our Own Heads My author friend Katie Keridan wrote these words: “You allow me to be the villain I wish I was while acting like the virtuous heroine I begrudgingly pretend to be.” So a) this is … Continue reading →

A Cheerleader Reader! I’ve coined a new term: Cheerleader Reader. It’s someone who reads your work and doesn’t criticize it. They are under STRICT instructions to say nothing but good things about it. And if they don’t like something? They have to keep their … Continue reading →

The Positive in Every Book In my weekly newsletter, I include my take on a book from my “to-read” pile. Some readers have commented on my always-positive mini-reviews.  “Don’t you ever not like a book?” one of them asked.  Absolutely. In fact, … Continue reading →