My writing coach client was closing in on the end of her novel. Like a pony heading back to the barn, she had picked up her pace and was clipping right along. Until she got stuck, and her writing slowed and then stopped. She was on the road with her husband when she...
A few months ago, a close friend treated me to a performance of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton as a thank-you for helping her after knee surgery. I’ve wanted to see the groundbreaking musical since it came out to raves and record-breaking awards ten years ago. The idea...
Most people aren’t used to—or comfortable with—active writing and what I call story-showing. They’d much rather recount a sequence of events rather than chronicle them in a way that a reader can vicariously experience. “I don’t know how to write that way,” most of my...
After a summer of almost no wildfire smoke—a welcome reprieve after a number of bad ones—a fire way too close to neighboring Sisters and just 20 miles from Bend, coupled with another one 100 miles to the West, nailed us. If the...
Audio books are the fastest growing sector of the book publishing business, which makes total sense when you consider the increasing numbers of baby boomers who are now nearsighted and the fact that they’re far from the only age group that likes to listen to books....
My longtime Bear Valley, California friend, Matt Welch, who passed this spring, was an amazing writer with an unparalleled talent for incisive humor. I truly believe that with a little work and plenty of editing, his hilarious book, Tales From the Barside,...
Pamela Moulton had finished her first novel and had it professionally line edited. So far, so good. Too many aspiring authors don't even get to that stage. She knew she needed to self-publish. She just had no idea how to do that. Her editor referred her to me. Most of...
Do you really know when to use me not I, or have you joined the apparent national movement to get that wrong? The trend drives me so nutty that I'm going to do my bit to reverse it by reposting this Grammar Outs rant every quarter. Of course, it's hard to...
Why do most of us write? Some of us have that story or message inside that we just have to share. For others, writing is just one of those things you do—like walking, or cooking, or connecting with a friend or family member. Also, a lot of people realize they can...
I had a full-circle moment last month. To understand, I need to provide you with a bit of my history. When I graduated from college, my plan was to become a schoolteacher and write during the summers. But I needed a break before continuing my education. So, I took a...
