In August, I took a month away from work, phones, and other people's writing to focus on the final edits for my novel.  It...

One of my long-time students asked a great question this week:  how does a writer develop voice?   Voice is the elusive uniqueness th...

Do you write dialogue?  Did you know that many acquisitions editors at publishing companies use dialogue as the "test" for ...

Summer is teaching time for me.  I just returned from a week on Madeline Island, a blissful spot, made even more so by the twenty-thr...

I've always loved August in New England, where I live.   The heat and sun and sultry air just make me want to go slower, take in mor...

This week I'm traveling to one of my favorite places:  Madeline Island and the Madeline Island School of the Arts, where I teach eac...

When we start writing a book, we have no clue how long it will take.  Most first-time book writers think maybe a year, two at the most? ...

My elderly aunt finished her memoirs.  She mailed me a photocopy.  It was great fun to read--she's always been entertaining sto...

One of the best decisions I made for my recent books was hiring a professional editor--before I began submitting the manuscript for pub...

One of my online students is working on a memoir that threads two storyboards (see more about storyboards here ).  He wants to be able to...