In mid-summer, my writing often takes a dive.  I feel the laziness of summertime and don't really want to work on anything, much less do...

Novelist and short-story writer Stuart Dybek ( Coast of Chicago ) was interviewed in Novel Voices about unique approaches to writing a book...

One of my favorite quotes about showing versus telling comes from Anton Chekhov, who wrote, “Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the ...

Writing teachers often cite the trio of event, character, and setting:  major elements to keep track of in your manuscript.  This trio is ke...

I am packing my suitcases this week, wondering about where to fit my writing.  Clothes, check.  Great book, check.  Camera, check.  Teaching...

There's a place in every book where all the assembled objects begin to balance.  They have slowly come together through many pages and ...

I am sharing a post I wrote last summer, because my Madeline Island retreat is coming up again in July, and I remembered this wonderful expe...

Alison McGhee, writing instructor and author of many wonderful novels including Shadow Baby and Rainlight, once taught a very effective exer...

When you’re writing a book, you have to simultaneously hover over the forest, while you're noticing the tiny leaves of each tree.  Being...

Weekend book workshop, August 6-7, Manchester, NH.  For more information click here.