A blog reader sent me a great question this week:  "My writing group discussed present versus past tense when writing memoir.  A...

I often get this question in my classes:  what point of view is best for my book?  Who is best to tell this story?  What are the differe...

This week I'm teaching on Madeline Island, a beautiful spot on Lake Superior off the shore of northern Wisconsin.  Yesterday my...

Book writers must create writing that pulls a reader in, that engages us so well, we can't stop reading. A favorite nonfiction w...

Quite a few of my clients have released their books this past year, always a happy moment for me.  My bookshelves are crammed with ...

A student in my classes complained about her writer's block.   She'd started her book with a bang, writing four chapters that j...

The relationship of writer to book-in-progress reminds me of a marriage.  As opposed to a date.  Poems, articles, columns, and short s...

Camilla, a writer in my New York classes many years ago, completed a memoir about her family in Italy during World War II.  I remember ...

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...