Walls, Doors and Windows
I am thinking about walls, doors and windows, and the rooms that many writers feel they are kept out of. The feeling is real. I have a lot of experience with walls, doors and windows. Besides the fact...
View ArticleAlchemy
Years ago, when I first started teaching, a woman signed up for my class at the John C. Campbell Folk School in the N.C. mountains because her doctor had told her that if she didn’t do something for...
View ArticleSoothing the Reader
There is something important to remember and that is that the reader wants you to succeed. The reader of a novel wants nothing more than to forget she is reading. She wants to fall into your fictional...
View ArticleRelearning Stillness
For two months I have been on the move within a twelve mile radius. I was forced to leave my beloved studio (dubbed the treehouse) where I have worked and taught my classes for ten years. There was a...
View ArticleMaking Art in the Age of Trump
Writing takes spaciousness. It requires managing time and psychic space. It requires holding part of yourself away from things: reality, jobs, bills, money, even marriage and partnership and family. It...
View ArticleThe Shame I Feel
I’m stupid. I’m inadequate. I am a failure. This is what I grew up believing about myself, and there was no place that proved these points more often, more relentlessly, and more consistently than...
View ArticleIs Writing Revolutionary?
I have a button that says, “Writing is revolutionary.” I wear it to remind myself of this truth. Art is a very difficult thing to believe in these days. Even though I insist on writing, I often wonder,...
View ArticleThe Myth of the Published Writer
When you disclose to a stranger that you’re a writer, the first question you will be asked is, “Are you published?” It feels good to say yes, to have a small list you can name off as validation of your...
View ArticleQuitting Social Media
On September 10, 2017, a Sunday, I deleted my Facebook account. I did not do this impulsively. I did it consciously. I even “gave notice”, as if I were leaving a job and wanted to make sure I received...
View ArticleHow to Break a Date With the Muse
If you must break a date with the muse, it’s best to be upfront about it. First of all tell her that you’re not going to be meeting her at the time you planned to. Give her your reason why. If you’ve...
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