I wasn’t too surprised when my publisher announced, after the copy edit had been complete, that she didn’t like my title, and she’d like to ask the copy editor to brainstorm a few ideas. I hadn’t been married to...

Remembering Irene Michele J. Rolle   Compassionate, professional and caring- Mammography Technologist are not just made we are created. This is how I was created. The puddle of urine in the floor should have been an indicator of how...

Are you a plotter or a pantser? That’s a popular question at writing workshops these days. The truth is we all do some of both. Plotters often find themselves furiously rewriting when they realize that their characters would react completely...

Learning how to stay disciplined, grappling with doubt, failure, and rejection, finding one’s voice, struggling to stay solvent—we’ve all dealt with these issues. It’s comforting to know that Charlotte Brontë, George...

There are some people who say they can, and do, write every day. I am not one of those people. In fact, I'm having a hard time writing these days. My debut young adult novel, Sad Perfect, was published just over six months ago, and I should be...

My better half is a builder, and he is not a whap it, tap it, slap it kind of worker. He is a craftsman, who built our home with reclaimed oak floors, spacious windows to let in the light, and an eye for detail. He could see our house before it...

I am more than a writer (you probably are too). I'm also a partner, a dog mom, a friend and writing coach. I mountain bike, rock climb, camp, hike and spend time with the people I love. I like a clean house too (though my standards pale compared...

As a writer, what you hear [or read] often is to keep writing – every day. As a blogger, what you hear and read often is to keep blogging – be it every day depending on your content or three times per week.   I think this is...

  If you feel scattered, frazzled, and overwhelmed, a sure cure is a practice of silence. Setting aside a regular time for silence can be challenging, but if you can find just ten minutes a day or an hour a week, silence will bring...

The first time I sat down to make notes about the book that had been churning around inside me, it was to be quick and casual. Maybe 45 minutes, I thought. I was still in my nightgown and robe, barefoot—an unsuspecting target....

You probably have a novel inside of you somewhere. Yes. You. The story in my debut novel, Start with the Backbeat, was like that. It lurked inside me for decades and finally came to paper a couple of years ago. I've been a writer...

I resisted reading Marie Kondo’s best-selling book, “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.” I’m skeptical of organizing schemes. Also, “tidying up” sounds too much like housework. Yet, I kept hearing good things...

For the past seven years, I’ve been teaching private writing classes. Teaching is a great joy and pleasure for me—and as creative an act as writing is. I love meeting people wherever they happen to be with their writing (and their...

Good novel and memoir writing hinges on scenes. Scenes are the building blocks of good story, and practiced storytellers know that a book is a series of scenes with strong transitions connecting one to the next. My colleague Linda Joy Myers,...

Finding the time to write. What do you do? There are so many options! You can neglect your family. Cut back on sleep. Stop exercising. Eat at your desk. Or you can take four do-able steps that will help you create time by reducing distractions,...