Writers hate a lot of –tion words–particularly procrastination and distraction. Procrastination isn’t my worst enemy; well, at least not as formidable a foe as distraction. Distraction is a shape-shifter: it takes many forms. Mostly, it takes the form of something that ends with .com, and is accompanied by its favorite –tion travel pal: justification. Chapter … [Read more…]
My goal for this year has been to finish all of the half-finished books on my nightstand before I start any new ones. It’s not that they’re horrible books and I’ve entirely lost interest (though I do feel guilty, for unexplained reasons, for not finishing a book—it feels like a failure or an unfinished project). … [Read more…]
I’ve been working on getting my writing out there in front of the right people for a while. Today I got the email every author dreams of: “I’d absolutely love to have you write an article for our site , exposing our customers and readers to you and your brand.” Of course, I am going … [Read more…]
In my other (non-writing) life, I am a photographer. In the early years of my training, a wise, experienced photographer said “The key to my success is taking lots of pictures, because you generally throw away at least half,” or something like that. And it is true, in photography, that photos are rejected because someone … [Read more…]
William Carlos Williams is one of my favorite poets. I appreciate his ability to convey sophisticated ideas in so few words. Here is a poem I wrote for fun, modeled after Williams’ “This is Just to Say.” I wrote this after a month-long research trip in France, where the food was decadent and delicious, and … [Read more…]
Sometimes the muse strikes at the oddest times, like when I’m packing my lunch. And, so, an entire chapter gets jotted down in short hand on post-it notes at the kitchen table. Such is the writer’s life. 🙂