As a full-time poet I work on my own poetry at least eight hours each day. This work includes raw creation from scratch and revision. In the past, I also counted literary translation of poetry but I am focusing on my own work now. Many of my writer friends (and all the poets) ask, “How… Read more »
I’ve always believed that a story idea is a magical butterfly that flutters around and lands on the one person that has the magnificence—that perfect combination of experience, perspective, emotions, heart, mind, and desire—to bring the story to life in such a way that reflects the writer’s soul and captures the reader’s heart. If a… Read more »
Toni Morrison once said, “If there’s a book you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” This is my absolute favorite quote about writing because it empowers me with the courage to try anything. It’s an awesome feeling, this surge of courage, but let us back up a… Read more »
As writers, we spend a lot of time thinking about our story and our characters. We agonize over plot points and think about how to create heroes and heroines that our readers will love. We meticulously review the structure of our scenes, trying to keep our readers surprised and engaged. But we often skip right… Read more »
I hit a wall halfway through writing my debut novel. This is not unusual; as writers, this happens to most of us at one time or another. When I get blocked, it’s often only for a few days. I know all the tricks to fix the stoppered bottle of my brain: get outside, go for… Read more »
I don’t know how other authors of dual timeline novels decided to go that way, but this structure wasn’t my initial intention. I had an idea for a story about a young woman in seventeenth-century Spain, but I eventually realized that I couldn’t let her story begin and end there. I wanted there to be… Read more »
My memoir, The Ghost Marriage, wasn’t a book I planned to write. I had been working on short stories and a historical novel; it never occurred to me that anything in my own life would be interesting enough to write about. Then the bottom dropped out of my marriage, I went through a difficult divorce,… Read more »
In these times I hope authors continue crafting children’s and young adult books on sensitive subjects such as race. Compelling stories can penetrate young minds with staying powers that endure long beyond that first read. Early exposure to lives that differ from or connect to blossoming readers can shape their future attitudes and actions. I… Read more »
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. One in five U.S. adults live with mental illness, yet it is still a taboo topic in our personal and professional lives. Those with mental illness are often driven to live with their suffering in silence for fear of damaging their relationships and credibility. I have lived with mental… Read more »
Just the thought of a “critique group” used to send shivers down my spine. Now, I am convinced that my writers’ circle, a variation on the traditional critique group, was the most important part of my recent post, #5onFri: 5 Things that Saved my Novel from Oblivion. To me, a writers’ circle is more intimate, supportive, and… Read more »
