How closely do your writing and life intersect? How can they support, even feed, each other? This week's exercise can be transformationa...

A writer from Minneapolis emailed me: "I just came across an idea for your writing exercises. You may have heard of it already, but it...

Anton Chekhov wrote, “Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.” Showing is a demonstration of emotio...

William Wordsworth said, "Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart."  We're not all poets.  But all of us have these ...

Like changing seasons that move elegantly into each other, a good book has an almost invisible rhythm called pacing. Excellent pacing cre...

Painters know the concept of “negative space.” I learned it in art school. Negative space is everything that is not the main object in a ...

A book could be just a list away.  This week's exercise encourages you to start a simple list in your writing notebook:  possible topics...

How do you use your right brain as a book writer?  The right brain brings a writer ideas for theme, emotion, and deeper levels of meaning in...

A blog reader from Minnesota sent in this great link to an interview with author Ethan Canin ( America, America )--where he talks about his ...

It's back-to-school time. I can smell those sharpened pencils. Are you set up for getting back to your book? This week, think about what...