Author Archive

Writing to Heal the Hole-Hearted

“The Artist is no other than he who unlearns what he has learned, in order to know himself.” – e.e. cummings So many authors wonder how they’ll finally become ready for the “big time.” I get it. I’ve wanted to know that for a long time too–to know my writing was good enough to be chosen. That would be such a rush
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How to Be a Great Edit

  I know it’ll come as a shock to some of you, but as much as the writing process is about staying in the work until you’ve said everything you need to say, the editing process is all about staying in the posture of listening. Once again, I’m stealing advice from Donald M. Murray’s excellent essay on the practice and
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Writing Is a Process, Not a Product

I absolutely love the classic wisdom from Donald M. Murray, Teach Writing as a Process Not Product. Speaking to English teachers and writing instructors, he says too often we become frustrated because we focus on the product, which is subpar. We want literature and what we’re holding is obviously not it. So we use our training and attempt to point out
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Making the Effort Count

  “There is no long run without devotion, commitment, persistence.” – Twyla Tharp, The Creative Habit It had been a long, hot summer and school was starting soon. Yet thanks to my tyrannical inbox and the schedule of the self-employed, we hadn’t yet escaped the house. Where else to go but home to Tahoe? It’s actually my grandma Tillie’s home, but
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How to Value Your Story to Write The Honest Truth

When you’ve decided you’re going to write your story, you need to know it’s the most important thing you could be doing. But unless you value it highly, this can be the most debilitating obstacle. For such a long time, I felt my story wasn’t important. Who wanted to read mine? I didn’t know who my story had made me. It’d been
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