One of my favorite writing exercises is to list five things I'd never do, or I'd never make a character do, then write a scene imagi...

In a roundabout way, I learned of a new book on creativity: Ignore Everybody by Hugh MacLeod. Then I learned of some fascinating notes on th...

In my novel, Qualities of Light, there's a triangle of love interests. Boy likes girl, girl kind of likes boy, girl falls in love with a...

As someone who loves it when the ducks are lined up, I used to hate unanswered questions. Problems I couldn't solve, dilemmas unresolved...

If you're in the very lucky position to have (1) finished writing your book, and (2) sold your manuscript to a publisher, you'll soo...

The week I got my first copy of my new novel, Qualities of Light, I was like a raft floating in serene blue water. It had happened at last. ...

Sarah Tieck, a fellow instructor at the Loft Literary Center, emailed me with a great question about writing notebooks. I've heard the s...

What's the path of least resistence, when it comes to writing and publishing a book? I've found you need three things: persisten...

Sometimes we have to get small to get big, with our books. But it can also feel like a sidetrack away from the "important" writing...

This week my long-awaited (to me, at least) novel will be published. I began writing it nine years ago while vacationing at a lakeside cabin...