The Self-Made Writer

I’ll begin with the same disclaimers as last year : I have no crystal ball. I’m not clairvoyant. And I live in Alaska, pretty much as f...

For years, the reading of Harper Lee's "Christmas to Me" has been a holiday tradition for me. In this brief essay, L...

Not long ago, I took a writerly side trip. You know how it goes. You’re getting back to your novel after a few too many days away for cel...

Back in the 70’s, the craze was speed-reading. Now it’s speed-writing, with authors churning out book after book at lightning speed. ...

If you’re an author, you already know the importance of discipline: stick with your project and one day you’ll finish. And if you parti...

I know, I know. The holidays are coming up way too fast. It's the season of gratitude, and yet your mind is all caught up in that h...

Some call it resilience, but I think that’s too nice a word, too easy. I prefer bounce, because it often comes with a smack, and the wh...