One of the hardest parts of being a writer is learning to be the right amount of selfish. Writing a book is an endeavor that takes hundreds of hours. In order to ever get it done, you have to carve out time even as you’re juggling a job, family, friends, and the temptation to binge […]
The Writing Life
How do you convince yourself to write when you don’t feel like it?
We’re approaching a holiday week here in the U.S., which is going to throw a wrench into many a writing schedule. Summertime can be a tricky time to be a writer, when BBQs and outdoor activities beckon. So let me ask you this: How do you convince yourself to write when you really don’t feel […]
The fear of never finishing
The novel I’m working on right now has nearly been the end of me. I wrote four novels (three were published, one’s in the drawer) and one nonfiction book over a four year period. And yet it’s taken me nearly that long just to get to the halfway point of my current novel. I should […]
How to get the most out of writers conferences
Summertime is here, and some of you may have your eye on a writers conference or two. Writers conferences can be a significant investment, but they’re also a fantastic learning opportunity. So what should be on your mind as you plan to attend one? I’ve been to my fair share over the years, and here’s […]
Art is an imperfect catharsis
My heart is incredibly heavy this week with the suicides of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain, and the ongoing poisoning of our shared culture by people who see more to gain in distracting us with hate than in inspiring love. This is a moment in history that seems designed to bring out the worst in […]
You tell me: How many manuscripts do you have in the drawer?
Giving up on finding publication for a book project is a difficult but nearly universal experience in the writing life. It’s often referred to as putting a manuscript “in the drawer.” The first novel I wrote crashed and burned before I eventually found publication with Jacob Wonderbar. Some now-published writers I know have about as many […]