So there I was… Yeah. My first thoughts on waking up from anesthesia after surgery. A bit disappointing, but at least I had yet another assurance that yes, I am a science fiction author at heart.
The depressing truth is, all characters we write are filtered through ourselves. I’m not writing a character based on my high school English teacher, I’m writing a character based on MY interpretation of that English teacher. It can feel fake. This gets worse the less you have in common with Read more
“If you’re waiting for your muse, I’ve got news for you; he or she is on a beach in Maui!” -Robert Crais (Best-selling author and wearer of fabulous Hawaiian shirts.) I realized years ago that if I wanted to be a professional at writing, I had to write when I Read more
So, you have an idea for a story – maybe it’s just an idea for a set-up or an emotional payoff at the end, and you have to get the reader from your brilliant first sentence to your brilliant last sentence somehow. You need a plot. You can’t just come Read more
Subtitle: Why I don’t use word counts as a measure of productivity. Knitting is awesome. If I follow the pattern, I end up with a sweater. EVERY TIME. I just start at the beginning and go to the end. Many people think writing is like knitting. They expect to start Read more
My older sister Terri and her friends put on a variety show in the loft over our garage one summer. The skits were, of course, all the most sophisticated humor. But best of all, the older kids let Grace and me join in. Because I was six whole minutes younger Read more
