Ever been with a friend who wants to tell you a dream? It starts with a circus, then they're fishing off the coast of Mexico, then someo...

A reader once sent me an excellent question. You know those characters in your story--memoir or fiction, especially--who turn out to be less...

A writing colleague once said: "If I'm away from my book more than three days, it's like starting over again." Have you ex...

Many years ago, I read a debut novel by M.L.Stedman, called The Light between Oceans. It taught me something important about endings and re...

We packed up our camper van and headed to the beach for four days. The puppies are very happy in the camper; it's a contained space, so ...

Back in the day, I came across a book on writing by the renowned teacher and author Francine Prose. Reading Like a Writer changed how I ap...

Starting a new book is always a great adventure. The idea comes--so many different ways that can happen, from a dream, some intriguing resea...

I've always loved this quote by Cheryl Strayed, author of Wild: "The most powerful strand in memoir is not expressing your original...

Summer can be a distracting or deepening time for writers--depends how much you are pulled away by the plethora of activity and energy in wa...

Years ago, I attended a summer writing conference at one of the most renowned colleges in the US. A friend lived in the town, invited me to ...