Each time I teach “Structuring a Novel with Good Bones,” I learn again how difficult it is to condense the process into six hours and how exhilarating it is to step back and examine the entire process. At day’s end, it seemed as though I’d climbed a mountain where (for a day) I could look … Read more
1. Sunscreen every day. Even cloudy days. Even when you are never leaving the house. Do you not have windows? 2. Search for work that you love. 3. Floss. Floss. Floss. 4. Search for love that doesn’t require daily work. This one is from my grandmother. On her 98th birthday, I asked Grandma for her … Read more
Shopping for Mother’s Day: difficult, expensive, typical (flowers! perfume! chocolates!) presents? Receiving presents? Yay!!! Stealing ideas? Smart. Below are some of the best (ethical, small business, useful, uber-pleasing) presents my family found for me. Gardening Overalls from Duluth Trading Co. Yes, I am in love with these. Pockets? Do you want pockets? Zipped pockets for … Read more
Unless one’s made of stone and iron, having written a novel based on extreme body-shaming & how the eyes of others scorch women must change one, yes? Pair that with compiling an anthology titled Women Under Scrutiny, and voila, the perfect storm for facing personal crucibles.* Though examining ‘knowing one’s character’s crucible**’ is paramount, delving into my personal albatrosses is … Read more
Unless it’s in service to a story, I avoid deep thought. But avoidance only stretches so far; when it became time to write a think piece on why I wrote that particular book (hiding inside a marriage, traumatic brain injuries, coma, emotional abuse, rageful words—stop me!), the murky connective tissues of linking why I write any novel, in particular, confronted … Read more