Like many creative artists who have jobs and families that demand attention, I sometimes dream of everything being quiet.  Of finally having...

It isn’t talent that makes an artist succeed. Talented people fail all the time. Success comes from belief in yourself, persistence with y...

I've just finished a book.  No, I mean, really finished it.  The last change is proofed, the last word typeset.  It's on amazon.com....

If you're interested in studying book-writing with Mary, there are a few spots left in the Your Book Starts Here online class, beginning...

A children's book writer sent me the following question:  "I am interested in writing a non fiction book for 11-18 year olds and wa...

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...