Andrea, one of my online students, send me a great question this week:  "I haven't quite decided how my stor...

You know that old saw about "nothing is certain except death and taxes?"  We expect unexpected twists and turns in our real liv...

Elizabeth came to my classes a few years ago with her memoir-in-progress.  She was obviously a talented writer, but what struck me even ...

Tonight I'm chatting with one of my online classes.  Our topic is slumped middles--not in our bodies, but our books.  Many books...

I was talking with a songwriter friend this weekend about how his songs are put together.  An idea usually comes--about a person, a place...

This week's post is reprinted from Writer's Block, an online newsletter from the Loft Literary Center, Minneapolis. As a begi...

Erin, a blog reader who has taken my online book-writing classes, wrote with a great question:  "I'm struggling a bit of...

A blog reader from New England sent a great question, which ties into a discussion happening in one of my online classes right now...

Skilled writers use sensory details to bring emotion to the reader.  Oddly enough, emotion doesn't come from fast-paced action.  Our...

Many first-time novelists and memoirists struggle with timelines, asking excellent questions in my classes.  Two favorite ones:  * How lo...