I was asked to teach a workshop on the stages of creative practice.  I spent weeks thinking about my own writing practice, and what I...

One of my private amusements is the serendipity surrounding how well my different books sell, or not.  And how that really doesn't a...

A writer from Minneapolis recently sent me a good question about research.  He wondered how much and what kind of research a writer sho...

A short post this week:  I'm just returning from teaching at a writing retreat and wanted to share this article in Fiction Writers Revie...

In May, at Grub Street's annual writing conference, The Muse and the Marketplace, I sat in on a lively workshop taught by writer Stev...

On our fridge we have a  New Yorker  cartoon.  A dog is sitting on a mountain ledge at the feet of his guru.  The caption reads:  "The...

Books enter our lives in distinct stages.   First comes the wild idea.  It grows gradually in the inner room of your creative self, until...

As I often do when I need a jump start into a new book I'm writing, I signed up for an online class this summer.  My class is good, w...

I "grew up" as a writer in the era of NO BACKSTORY ALLOWED.  I was given examples of stories and books that had zero backstory an...

I've long admired the novelist Alexander Chee, not just for his writing, but for his approach to writing.  It's sensible, it works,...