Category: On Writing
A Day in the Life of an Editor
When you, the tired, withdrawn author, come to me, the fresh-eyed, enthusiastic editor, and say, ‘I need help’ or ‘Something’s not working, but I don’t know what’ or ‘I’m receiving countless rejections’ or ‘I keep getting 2 star reviews’ or ‘I CAN’T GO ON!’, I’m quick to offer you a virtual hug because I recognise […]
Older Writers
I am what the French so delicately call, femmes d’une certaine age, somewhere between middle age and Social Security—much closer to Social Security, if I’m being honest. And I just had my debut novel published as an ebook, with a paperback to come out later this year. I’m also in the process of having an […]
Women and Myths in Storytelling
I recently wrote a blog post for my group of fellow authors, Novelistas Ink, about my previous incarnation running storytelling workshop based on myths. Writing the post made me think again about the role of myths in storytelling, and in storytelling about women in particular. (You can find the original post here) The ancient myths […]
Q&A With Author Bethany Chase
I can’t recall how Bethany and I became friends, but I am sure that the name of her blog (“It’s Better With Bangs”) and her spunky twitter profile (“I’m a women’s fiction author, interior designer, and eternally hopeful A-cup.”) had something to do with it. That same voice – spunky, quick, bold – is what […]
What Book Clubs Are Teaching Me About Writing
I’ll let you in on a little secret. I always wanted to be in a Book Club. I couldn’t articulate why because from the outside I couldn’t be sure exactly what occurred there – food, wine, maybe even some discussion about a, you know, book – but it just seemed to me from the way […]
Up the Ante on Exposing Yourself
The retreat leader, a New York Times bestselling author, had scribbled those six daunting words in blue ink and all caps across the back of page seven. I already felt plenty exposed. Not only had I laid bare the first ten pages of my fledgling memoir, I was revealing my work to eight strangers who, […]
“This Is How It Goes.”
Allow me to set the scene – You recently completed writing the most difficult story of your career. You pulled it off! Your exhaustive research came through. The ending poured out of you like liquid diamonds. You redid the ending of your last novel a dozen times. This time, it felt like the story was […]
In Defense of Fluff
“Anyway, it’s not a bad book. I just felt like it was more fluff than anything else.” That is a direct quote from a Goodreads review for one of my books and it doesn’t bother me at all. Yes, you read that correctly — it does not bother me at all that someone thinks a […]
Writing in Community: You Don’t Have To Do It Alone
Laura Munson is the author of the New York Times and international bestselling memoir “This Is Not The Story You Think It Is: A Season of Unlikely Happiness” She tells us why writing in community can bring out people’s voice. “I write in a solitude born out of community”—Terry Tempest Williams I am home from […]
Dumped: Stories of Women Unfriending Women
An anthology? How hard could that be? Great idea. Get other writers. Everyone already loves the title. “It’s just way more work than you can imagine. Even if you imagine a lot of work, it’s more.” Eleanor Henderson and Anna Solomon It was at least five years ago when the percolating began. You know what […]
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