Happy new year, writer friends! How are you making time in 2021?
On writing
Purpose. It’s been a pandemic since I last wrote here. I started this blog as a way for me to crystalize my own craft insights and to inspire others ... Read more
It’s really tempting to just binge-watch and eat all day.
A Room Of Your Own, Be here now., On writing
It’s really tempting to binge watch and eat all day while scrolling through all the distractions on my phone. One second another breaking news alert about the death toll or ... Read more
I love the feeling when a new story starts to take shape…
Inspiration, On writing
I wrote the prologue of my new story last week. It’s maybe 1000 words, maybe not even, and I know I will need to go back to it. It took ... Read more
Make Time in 2020.
Inspiration, On writing
The Dark Side of Grit It’s been almost a year since I last posted to this blog. Things had gotten to the point that if I had any time to ... Read more
Write slowly.
Inspiration, On writing
The cult of speedy writers. There is a lot of hype out there tying triumph in writing to your ability to write fast. Success in self-publishing seems to have more ... Read more
Building Igloos
A Room Of Your Own
The Igloo Story When I was fifteen or so I built an igloo in the snow. We were having Thanksgiving (or was it Christmas?) in Yakima at my aunt’s house. ... Read more
30 Things To Do Before You Sit Down To Write
Listicle
Re-read old stories you wrote years ago and consider fixing them. Organize all the pens on your desk by color or type of pen and then fan them out into ... Read more
Letter: Dear FOBO
Letters
Dear FOBO, I just learned you existed yesterday. Well, I learned you are a thing with a name, which also means there must be countless other people out there who ... Read more
Five ways to sabotage your writing time
A Room Of Your Own, Listicle, On writing
Want to sabotage your writing time? Have I got some ideas for you. 1. Do anything else “real quick”. This includes checking email, social media accounts, doing a little food ... Read more
Dear Teacher-writers: the idea that you’ll have more time to write in the summer is a myth. Let’s face it.
A Room Of Your Own, Inspiration, On writing
I often tell people that part of why I teach is so I can spend my summer writing. I don’t mean to lie. Before I became a teacher, I thought ... Read more