The Goldilocks Principle of InteriorityThere are a lot of things in life where either too much or too little won’t work, and when it comes to fiction, interiority is definitely…Apr 16, 20211Apr 16, 20211
Embracing VulnerabilityThis week, I had the pleasure of attending Lisa Cron’s virtual launch for Story or Die: How to Use Brain Science to Engage, Persuade, and…Mar 10, 20211Mar 10, 20211
A Book What?Tell people you’re a book coach and you’ll get some questions: What is that, exactly? And what’s the difference between book coaching and…Feb 13, 20211Feb 13, 20211
NO CONFLICT BUT IN SCENESThe poet William Carlos Williams said, “No ideas but in things.” It’s a refrain from a poem, and as such, Williams made no particular…Dec 11, 2020Dec 11, 2020
What Writers Get Wrong About PlotOver the past few weeks, I’ve been working with teen writers through Interlochen Online, the Covid-era version of the Interlochen Center…Jul 17, 2020Jul 17, 2020
Decolonizing Creative Writing: 6 Guidelines for Teachers, Freelance Editors, and Book Coaches…I don’t have a single BIPOC or gay writer friend who hasn’t experienced trauma in a creative writing setting — and it infuriates me.Jun 19, 2020Jun 19, 2020
Backstory: Sometimes the Way Forward Is the Way BackThere’s a point in one my favorite movies from childhood, Labyrinth, where the young heroine, frustrated at her lack of progress through…Mar 11, 2020Mar 11, 2020
Standing Rock, Malheur, and the Long Shadow of ColonialismEven amid the flurry of efforts to promote my first book, even amid the roar of the election season and its various outrages, Standing Rock…Oct 31, 2016Oct 31, 2016
On Becoming a Debut NovelistNo one could tell me the right way to enter the commercial marketplace because no one knew what the right way was.Mar 9, 2016Mar 9, 2016