Crunching The Numbers There’s always so much talk, worry, emphasis and hand-wringing over social media. How much should you, as a writer, be on it? What kind of content? How does it help you build your author platform?  The conventional answer is … Continue reading →

Or Not I’m sure you know the expression, “know the rules before you break the rules.” It holds true for writing, absolutely. There is such a thing as a bad story; writing may be subjective, but yes, there are “rules” that can … Continue reading →

Wisdom of the Ages My daughter was telling me about her Radical Political Thought class at university, and her reading of 16th century political theorist Jean Jacques Rousseau’s thoughts on the origins of inequality. He argued it came from what he … Continue reading →

Romance For All of Us In one activity I used to teach debating skills in my English class, I would ask those who identified as male to stand on the right side of the room; all those who identified as … Continue reading →

Getting the Most Out of Your Books I rarely buy new clothes. My style is classic, so I’m okay not to shop for the latest trends. Besides, I’d rather save my money for what’s really important. Books, books and more … Continue reading →

Tough AND Love “Missed opportunity”. “Inadequate world-building detail.” “Not enough character motivation.” These are phrases a writer friend got from a developmental edit. It’s not that they weren’t true—my writer friend is always prepared for tough love when it comes … Continue reading →

Maintenance Recently, I passed an unusual sight. I was crossing over railroad tracks near my house—tracks I’ve crossed a hundred times—and I noticed a railroad worker on a tall ladder cleaning the warning lights.  Huh. In all my years and … Continue reading →

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 →