A reader from Minnesota has gotten interest from a publisher, but the publisher has asked for a written statement of her book--often called ...

This week, I'm going to share a technique I teach in my workshops on writing vivid characters.  If you're interested in learning mor...

A student in my online class shared this wonderful interview with Barbara Kingsolver from Kingsolver's website, and it has helped me thr...

For several years I worked via email with a small group of new book writers.  I'd just graduated from my M.F.A. program and I wanted to ...

This past weekend I was reminded of the joy of reading good books.  This reminder came unexpectedly, via a small New England writing confere...

One of my students alerted me to this excellent NPR review of Stanley Fish's new book, How to Write a Sentence.  But even more fun is th...

A friend recently sent me this wonderful article, published in the Wall Street Journal's Wordcraft column, about how people really talk...

A reader from New York has been working hard on her first draft of a novel for over a year.  First drafts aren't easy.  Initially they r...

With the help of one of my students and the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis, I created the video below.  Watch it to learn how to use t...

Successful transitions allow a reader to move through your book, from beginning to end, without getting frustrated or bored.  Or taking two...