The Writing Life
There's Never a Good Time to Write
The young woman standing next to me in the coffee line at church was a gifted writer. She’d done a reading of her poetry several months before, and I’d been blown away by the lyricism and elegance of her work. At the reading, she’d talked about how much she was enjoying getting back to…
Read MoreYou Never Know Until You Try
I’m getting so excited about the release of my second YA novel, It Should Have Been You. The official release date, January 30, is less than four weeks away! Who knew that this was the path my life would take? If you had told me in my dancing days that I would ever write a…
Read MoreWriters: We're a Supportive Group!
When one of my dear writing friends, Ellen Birkett Morris, got an agent the other day, I think I was almost as excited as she was. Despite being an award-winning short story writer with an outstanding reputation, it wasn’t easy to find an agent for her first novel. I can definitely relate! Yet, in the…
Read MoreYou Could Never Do That? Don’t Be So Sure!
As part of community-building efforts, my church includes “Question Time” during the service. You’re encouraged to talk
Read MoreWhat’s In a Name?
I’d barely unpacked my bags for my first grad school residency when I heard about one of the most revered teachers and mentors in the program, an accomplished horror author. “He’s brutal in his critiques,” an upperclassman informed me, “but if you survive, he’ll help you become a really good writer.” He paused and said, “You’ll never get…
Read MoreThe Other Reason Authors Write Series Books
I’ve been working on revisions of my third YA novel, Gone. This process can, of course, go on for weeks and months.
Read MorePowerful Writing Advice from Donald Maass
My writer’s group takes turns leading mini-workshops on aspects of fiction writing. Recently, it was my turn. The subject was upping the stakes in our stories. When I re-read Donald Maass’s chapter on stakes from his outstanding WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL,
Read MoreExceptions to Novel Writing Advice
When I got to grad school, one of the first things impressed upon me was that if I wanted to write novels, I needed to pay careful attention to character development.
Read MoreAbout Those New Year’s Resolutions
New Year’s resolutions have always struck me as psychic downers-in-the-making. Sure, I’d love to lose ten pounds.
Read MoreAnother Writer’s Lament
When the artistic director of the company I danced with for several seasons was displeased with how we were performing her choreography, she would scream at us across the studio,
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