I haven’t been blogging much lately because I’ve been knee-deep in revisions to my novel. Blogging is something I’ve been doing while procrastinating from the real work, and since I’ve found my momentum on the real work, other things (family, friends, basic hygiene) have taken a back seat. But today, I ran right up against a […]
Genre Shmonra: Read Everything
Regarding my latest novel revision, I’ve been asked by the agent I’m working with to put more “anger and anguish” on the page, and so I spent some time browsing my book shelves looking for inspiration, and I came up empty. The thing is, I read literary fiction. I write literary fiction (at least I […]
Get Out of Town!
Every year around Halloween, I get nostalgic for the month I spent at the Vermont Studio Center, an artist colony nestled in the Green Mountain range of Johnson, VT. I was there from late October to late November about five years ago. Joining me were 70+ artists from all over the country and a good […]
Flexibility
I had coffee with a friend this week who is also the mom of two young children, and she asked how my book was coming and then asked me how on earth I have time to write it. This is something I get asked a lot, and I explained that I have to be very flexible. I’ve […]
Writing Exercises–Not Just for Beginners
I’m embarking on another rewrite of my novel this week. I think this is number five, though it’s hard to decide what constitutes a rewrite. I’m always fiddling with things, of course, at the sentence level, but for my purposes, a rewrite starts with a list of things I want to address that often seep […]
RIP Shaman Drum!
I used to live in Ann Arbor, Michigan, a glorious place for writers and readers alike with a bookstore, or two or three, on every block. I especially enjoyed attending readings at Shaman Drum because they regularly featured up-and-coming authors in an intimate setting. I first heard Bonnie Jo Campbell there, and she’s now nominated for […]
Inspiration
I’m supposed to be writing novel #2, but I’m looking out my office window counting the yellow leaves as they fall from my ash tree. I used to have trouble remembering what kind of tree it was, but then I thought up a little hint. If I ask my husband again what kind of tree […]