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“If we had to say what writing is, we would have to define it essentially as an act of courage.” Cynthia Ozick “A great deal of talent is lost to the world for want of a little courage.” Sidney Smith “There is no satisfactory explanation of style, no infallible guide to good writing, no assurance […]

There are times in our lives, and in our writing, when we need rules, as much for the permission they give us as for the railings they put up on the stairs we climb. Your rules may be unspoken, may take the form of rituals or habits (coffee in the morning, a particular journal, a

There are a few key actions you must take regularly to build and sustain a writing life. 1)   You must—it seems obvious, and yet—you must write. 2)   You must then, after a time, reread what you write and make it better. Other eyes are helpful in this process, some would say absolutely necessary. But your

I’m going to tell you the SINGLE SECRET to success that can transform your writing life. I’ve seen it work for published authors and green beginners, and it will work for you. Trust me? Do what you already do. That’s it? Well, almost. Do what you already do and add support. What inspires you? Is

Cross-currents and misdirection: More than one topic/ agenda will be happening at the same time. Stir these various currents, let them bump into and ruffle each other. Characters, like human beings, rarely answer each other back and forth in a systematic, logical format. Each line of dialog is that character’s action in order to effect

These are all my notes, typed into the chat, during our hour-long webinar about structure last week. This is basically an overview of what Angie is going to go into in her amazing structure class. In the class there will be only 6 people and each will get individual response from Angie on every assignment.

This is purely metaphor. That writing is just like hang-gliding. There are particular rules for the writer/hang-glider. You have to carry your own glider up a nineteen-mile mountain. Wings must be fully extended, the ungainly apparatus strapped to your back as if you are ready to soar at any moment. A supportive friend may be

My friend, the amazingly talented and wonderful author Elizabeth Rosner, teaches writing retreats. I don’t know what else to call them. She creates a space in her beautiful home for up to 8 writers, and she gives us prompts. These are gentle. They are suggestions. Sometimes she reads us lists of verbs. This time she

Sunday April 14, the Book Writing World will be hosting its first annual dinner reading at the Saturn Café in Berkeley.  Come join us for great food, better words and writing community.

A few weeks back, one of my students came to class asking for recommendations of short story collections by a single author. We all threw out favorite titles as we went around and did our goals’ check-in, and I’ve left the list in that order, which is to say somewhat random order. Please post your