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 […]
The Closet Creative Blog
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 […]