Yesterday I realized I didn't know squat about writing.

I've taken some twenty college hours specifically on the topic, taught creative writing myself, published short stories, drafted four novels, and read thousands of books. And yet, I still have so much to learn.

I blew through the first third of Bickham's book Scene and Structure, and literally ( Read more... )

I think I'd rather do that than write a book with more than one main character.

First and foremost, if you know of a great book with multiple protagonists, PLEASE LIST IT!

I'm revising a manuscript for a fellowship application. I love the book, but it's a challenge, because for what I wanted to accomplish, I ended up with six five protagonists (I  ( Read more... )

"You forgot the sandwich ( Read more... )

They told me she'd be waiting at the convenience store a block away from school ( Read more... )

My anecdotal evidence gathered from 38 years of blind faith.

1976 - Age 6

If I keep pinching myself, I’ll stay awake. I can still hear mom and dad in the living room, so I can’t sneak out yet.

Jennifer says there isn’t any Santa. That it’s really mom and dad. But Jennifer unties Billy’s shoes just to be mean. He can’t tie them himself, and he cries.

( Read more... )

Oh, if only I could afford a book trailer like this.

(Okay, if only I had a book coming out to make a trailer!)

Click to view

The book is Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles. I hope it's as hot as the trailer! I put it on my Christmas list. It comes out Dec. 23, so HEY SANTA! LOOK!

A few weeks ago I volunteered to be a "Parent Editor" in my daughter's fourth grade class. The students are learning to write creative nonfiction for their state-mandated TAKS test, and needed more one-on-one instruction than the teacher could give.

Yesterday, I visited the class for the second time, to check on their progress and give them a ( Read more... )

I love it, love it, love it. Best thing to happen since that horrid Prop 8 passed.

In a thread on Verla Kay's boards, we talked about "origin stories," or what gave us the idea for our current books.

In my response to the thread, since many of the writers felt the story just "came to them," I wrote out a surprising thing that happened to me a few days ago.

I know that all of us can only really write what we know. As we apply words ( Read more... )

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