Last spring, I wanted to be Fredrik Backman. I don’t mean famous. Or Swedish. Or brilliant. Or a guy. No, I wanted to be the writer whose words could cause a quinquagenarian former high school principal, not prone to emotional outbursts, to weep openly in an auto...
The WFWA writing retreat in Albuquerque was an amazing week of learning and growth. A retreat is a powerful way to advance your writing. What’s my strategy to get the most out of it? Remove, Engage, Think, Realize, Elicit, Aspire, Tangle and Scribble
Join me in acting like a big baby: Take a step toward what you want.
Even when it is scary, do it anyway.
Embrace yet.
Let go of the fear of appearing awkward or foolish.
Accept the crooked line as the perfect path for you.
Learn from falling down.
Use what you have and reach out for support.
Celebrate every moment—big and small—toward your goal.
At a conference last year, an author spoke about revising her manuscripts with a look of rapture usually reserved for the sacred or the sensual. My first thought? Are you kidding me?! What about revising and editing could possibly evoke this level of euphoria?...
Before I began writing seriously, I saw it as a singular pursuit. I imagined a disheveled person at a desk in a windowless room with a half-drunk cup of cold coffee and maybe a sleeping dog. I don’t know why the writer in my mind was unkempt, perhaps because I...