A fabulous writer friend of mine has been trying to wake up early so she can get more writing done. Talking to her about her difficulties made me realize that I’ve learned a lot about early-morning writing since I first … Continue reading
This weekend, I took a twenty-four hour vacation. My husband and I dropped our two children at their cousins’ house and checked into a nearby hotel. We sat for hours by the inn’s fireplace, haunted a local café where we … Continue reading
It’s difficult, if not impossible, to achieve the proper perspective on a writing career. The problem is that you can’t judge success or failure from any given moment, because of the roller coaster nature of the experience. It’s so easy … Continue reading
1. Reread Anne Lamott’s amazing chapter on jealousy in Bird by Bird. She says, among other things, that “if you continue to write, you’re probably going to have to deal with [envy], because some wonderful, dazzling successes are going to … Continue reading
1) The beginning of a romance novel is a map of the whole book. It contains most of what you need to know to find your way through. These things include, but are not necessarily limited to: Why the heroine … Continue reading
From my novelist mother, that discipline and persistence pay. She wrote every weekday morning for four hours, from the time I was five until I graduated from high school and left home. A-ha moment for me: No one else will … Continue reading