When I was four years old, we had chickens and I collected the eggs. One morning when I got to the coop, wet up to the knee from dew on the tall grass, I met the Most Terrifying Beast. There was no way the eggs would make it into my pretty Easter basket with that sparkly web...
Finding Your Voice, Really?
What I Know For Sure About Writing
I didn't start to practice the craft of writing until I was thirty years old. But I've always been a writer.
Before I could call myself a writer, I wrote. Mostly lists, long letters, and plans. Some stories. I made up a cast of pretend friends, and I talked to myself. Still do. Thank you, bold new world in...
Are You a Writer or an Artist?
Who Gets to Be a Writer?
Stay on the Bus
I recently learned about the Helsinki bus terminal theory. It's Finnish photographer Arno Minkkinen's advice (he's kind of a big deal) about attaining success in a creative career. The theory compares a body of creative work to the bus lines in Helsinki...
How Long Does It Take to Write a Book?
Publishing a Book: 3 Very Different Experiences
This is the story of three very different books. The process of publishing a book can be thrilling, disheartening, empowering, and everything in between. My three books are very similar to the reader, but the difference in what Blacklisted from the PTA, Who Peed on My ...