Fame has always been a hot topic of discussion among writers.  An unsavory one.  A necessary one.  If we long to be published, we ask t...

Can you really self-publish?  Or is it career suicide for a writer?  My indie-released songwriter friends never understood why writer...

As a writing teacher, I deal with discouragement every day.  Not about my teaching, although that can certainly arise.  I face the disco...

Some people love lots of sensory detail in writing.  I'm one of them.  If a writer shows me the place, what the people wear, the sme...

I'm rerunning this post from last winter while I launch my fall semester of online classes this week.  Enjoy! Over the years, desp...

Do you know the difference between eminent creativity and everyday creativity?    Do you care?  You should.  Each makes a huge impact on ...

This week I'm both teaching and taking a retreat.  I'm teaching a wonderful group of fifteen book writers on Madeline Island, on...

This week's post is in response to Shirley, who viewed my storyboarding video on You Tube and sent me a photo of her storyboard.  Th...

When one of my advanced students wanted to sharpen his dialogue, I gave him the task of modeling from a favorite book.  His dialogue imp...

All week, struggling to revise an early chapter in my novel-in-progress, I realized what was wrong:  nothing happens.  It's what I c...