The initial outline is like a marked map, and writing the first draft is like hiking. Sometimes it’s the detours that yield the best view.
Writing Articles
Descriptive Powers: Similes, Metaphors, and Associations, Oh My!
Similes and metaphors are important tools for descriptive writing, and help writers add style to their prose.
Beyond the Dashboard—By the Numbers, By the Words
A “bestseller” isn’t the only successful book. There’s another definition of success, and it can’t be captured in numbers.
Beta Readers & the Junk Drawer
Giving a draft of a work in progress is a major milestone–and an awful lot like inviting someone to snoop around the house. It’s also magic.
The Elements of Genre
A book’s genre is a clue about the balance between the main drivers of story – plot, character, or setting.
Important Books
Most books are not Important Books, no matter how excellent they are – but if a book makes you think, isn’t that what’s important?
Main Characters – An Airport Perspective
Perspective is the difference between being an extra and being the star of the show, and the difference between a layover and a destination.
New Year Goals and Guesses
This year, I’m staying focused on the feeling I want instead of making up a goal based on a guess about what will lead to satisfaction.
Magic Bookshelves
Bookshelves are where we find mirrors of the mind, reflecting our thoughts and moods. The meaning we find in what we read depends on the moment we’re in.
Why Being an Indie Author is Right for Me
A year and a half after publishing my first book on Amazon KDP, I have new perspective on the benefits of self-publishing.
Gen X Edits a Novel: Real Paper, Digital Scissors
Moving from analog to digital in my writing life hasn’t been a straight line. Seems I’m looking for the best of both worlds.
On Writing What You Know
If all writers took “write what you know” literally, would there be anything but autobiographical writing in the library?