Category Archives: Uncategorized

Writers often ask each other, especially those who have successfully published their work, whether they have a writing discipline. At a recent retreat writers asked each other this question. The answers were thoughtful and enlightening. It was the kind of … Continue reading →

I ask many groups of writers: What makes someone a writer? The answers over the years have followed a similar theme, falling into the mythologies of who can claim to be a writer. The answers include ideas about solitary creation, … Continue reading →

Thomas Mann was asked how he would define a writer. He said, “That’s easy. A writer is a person for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people.” Douglas Adams said, “Writing is easy. You only need … Continue reading →

Believing in our own writing doesn’t end when we have set a period after the last line in our first draft. In fact, that moment is when the hard work of keeping our confidence up begins. Too often, we take … Continue reading →

There is a great deal of discussion in writing circles about Voice. In terms of craft, voice can mean two different things. There is your voice, and there is the voice of a character you have created. A character’s voice … Continue reading →

Each year I teach a poetry class at Smith College. The writers expect to analyze published poems as well as create their own. They are surprised when I tell them that their first job is to notice the world rather … Continue reading →

Do You Believe? Every week I listen to incredible writing. The writers in my workshops offer their work and we marvel at the innovation, the nuances, the true character voice. And nearly every week I see the look of surprise … Continue reading →

Finding the Heat We all have stories inside us. Big stories. Lots of characters, important settings, loaded dialogue, objects that hold meaning, and winding plots. Whether from memory or imagination, the natural question is: Where to begin? For many writers, … Continue reading →

Capturing the Complete Experience Has it ever happened that you write a scene, it doesn’t matter whether it’s from memory or imagination (but perhaps this does happen most powerfully when we work from memory), and when you are done writing, … Continue reading →

Where do characters come from? Everywhere and nowhere. They arrive like old friends we have always known, perhaps remnants or compilations of neighbors, siblings, uncles, colleagues. They arrive like strangers we want to discover, revenants of who we want to … Continue reading →