Critique Groups

I’m a strong proponent of writers participating in critique groups. Feedback is so important–not just for new writers, but all writers. I participate in several critique groups. I have two small, private groups that each meet twice a month. We read our work and then receive feedback. There’s something remarkable that happens over time working […]

Zen in the Art of Writing

Zen in the Art of Writing by Bradbury has been a great influence on my writing career. I love one of the returning refrains throughout this collection of essays, that we need to show up and write every day (his prescription is 1000 words a day and a short story a week) and that through quantity […]

A Place Called Freedom

Just finished Ken Follett’s novel, A Place Called Freedom. I’m a mixed fan of Follett. He creates these amazing, sweeping historic tales that cover a lot of ground. And, yet, there’s so little emotion on the page. It’s difficult to become emotionally invested in his characters (and even for long periods to tell them apart.) […]

NaNoWriMo has Begun

I’m thrilled that it’s November and National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) has begun. It’s a few days in and I’ve written over 5ooo new words of a new novel. So, what is NaNoWriMo? The goal is to write 50, 000 words of a new novel in 30 days. Over the past 12 years I’ve participated […]