If you’re a writer, you are probably also a reader. You love reading. You could spend hours every day reading. I often spend hours reading each day – more for editing work and school than pleasure (leisure reading is a rare activity of mine these days) … But even reading as part of my work […]
How Does a Writer Decide What to Write?
Are you a writer? Do you have just too many ideas when it comes to knowing what you should write? I know the feeling … in more ways than one. When I pick up my two older kids from school, they’re often bubbling over with everything that happened that day. Each one likes to be […]
These Spaces in Between
Airports are non-places. In-between places. You’re not really here but not really there yet. You’ve said goodbye and haven’t yet said hello. At an airport, you’re not quite in the air but not exactly on the ground. Usually, in airports we’re in too much of a hurry to contemplate the liminality of such spaces. It’s […]
The Importance of Being Present as a Writer
The life of a writer seems almost extravagant at times. I don’t mean that I sleep in every morning, wake up only when I feel like it, then walk or drive around in search of inspiration for writing. I don’t spend hours sitting outside an overly expensive coffee shop sipping a mocha latte and writing […]
Reasons Why A Writer Writes
Why do I write? I read a quote some time ago that has stuck somewhere in my mind or heart, or perhaps both. It went something like this: “The act of writing is the act of discovering what you believe.” So much has been said of writing. Probably even more has been written about writing. […]
How to Kill a Mockingbird, a Longing for Belonging, and the Power of Story
A Strange Introduction to Boo Radley The autumn I was 12, my big brother, Emmanuel, invented a name for our neighbor across the street: Boo Radley. The man’s name was actually Doug. Although in his late thirties, he still lived with his mother. Doug had narrow eyes and a strange, perpetual smile. We had been […]
Writing Powerful Character Motivations in Your Story
Why do characters need good motivations? Have you ever read a story where the characters’ motivations just weren’t solid? It might have been the protagonist or the villain whose motivation lacked substance, but it just made the story drag. When you learned what the antagonist’s main motivation was, and why he or she wreaked so […]
A Good Book Is a Good Friend … and Authors Make Great Friends
Reading a book by an author you haven’t read in a while – a favorite author – is something like meeting up with an old friend. A good friend. The Depth of True Friendship You smile at the sight of your friend and their face lights up. You shake hands or hug. The two of […]
Does a Writer Need a Literary Agent?
Agents. It was a topic that came up repeatedly during a writer’s conference I recently attended. “What is the agent’s role?” “Do I really need a literary agent?” “Can’t I get a book published on my own?” Some of the questions I heard about the pros and cons of literary agents during the conference were […]
Does Art Have Meaning? (And If So, What Is It?)
In her article, “Beyond the Disciplines: Art without Borders,” author and artist Suzi Gablik mentions the kind of art that has “some worthy agenda outside of itself, and a socially redeeming purpose.” I love that idea, as opposed to art driven by the “professional recognition,” marketplace competition, and “brisk sales” she also mentions — things […]
Bonita Jewel 