My town, Maitland, is not large. Neither is Maitland Public Library. But it’s our library and it’s a treasure, a beating heart of community fabric from the get-go. And in this season of giving thanks, it occurs to me that a ridiculously high number of my most satisfying experiences as a writer have taken place within its venerable walls, and within those of other public libraries as well. Maitland Public launched with 360 books donated by Clara Dommerich in 1896, … Read More »

At the many writing conferences and workshops I’ve attended over the years, I’ve heard about writers who collaborate on a variety of projects, and I always wondered how it worked. It seemed to be a rare, hushed process that took place under mysterious, obscure conditions. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I’d have the opportunity to work with another gifted writer and produce something that was the pairing of two separate, creative minds. Would It Work? Every … Read More »

It’s the holiday season—again—and first up is Thanksgiving. Does this hustle-bustle season mean we writers lay aside our writing? I hope not. Besides the need for some of us to spent time cooking, or traveling great distances to visit family and friends, as writers, in addition to carving turkey, we still need to carve out time to keep the pen moving across paper or the fingers clicking over keyboards. I urge us to give ourselves even ten minutes every day … Read More »

Good critiquing is an art. With each draft, the work gets better and better, and the author becomes more aware and more confident of the elements necessary to tell a good story. But it’s not an easy process. The first time that I attended a critique group early in my writing career, I was terrified. I was writing contemporary mystery — and I’d never read part of a manuscript in front of anyone before. As I read the first five … Read More »

When I finished the draft of my first manuscript, I drove to Office Depot to have it printed.  I wanted to hold three and half years of work in my hands. It was exhilarating to flip through those 99,600 words, and yet, I had no idea what to do with them. Two months later, the universe threw me in the path of a published author who was kind enough to answer my questions. Can I get published by querying hundreds … Read More »

As writers we’re so focused on success (getting published) that we rarely give ourselves permission to simply write trash. The notion of transcribing something truly raw from our subconscious or filling pages with topics that’ll never be in a finished product is cringe-worthy. Take into account the growing constraints on our daily lives — work responsibilities, family obligations, and social commitments — and suddenly any free time we have needs to be spent finishing a polished poem or short story … Read More »