Count mountain climbing off my bucket list. Nonfiction Into Thin Air By Jon Krakauer 293 pp. Villard $14.60 There’s something innately ‘cool’ about mountain climbing. I’m not sure if it’s the gear, the brands, the people (both real and fictional), or the mountains themselves. Maybe all of the above;...

As you write, look through each of your character's eyes. Look for their character motivation, but also for their beliefs and ways these can cross paths in a way that forces your character to make a decision that puts their goal in danger. ...

The Good Working from home has definite perks. I usually work at an office about a half hour drive away. Today, I got a text saying that the power was out. It was perfect timing, I still had on my yoga pants. Who doesn’t dream about wearing yoga pants...

All of us will encounter rejection at some time in our life, some more than others. Writers fall into this often rejected category. It’s a fact of life we have to learn to deal with. I wrote a short story in January and entered it into a contest. We...

Happy New Year Everyone! It’s bittersweet isn’t it? On one hand it’s exciting to wipe the slate clean and start fresh with new goals, new hopes, new outlooks. But there’s something sad about letting go. I took the ornaments off my tree today, and it looks so bare. Taking...

Sometimes I wonder if I have too many hobbies and activities. I write stories and read books. I crochet and sometimes knit (although I probably shouldn’t include knit because I keep having to start over the dishcloth I’m trying to make). I sew. And I like to exercise, and...

Writing The Caravan has been a long process. The Idea came from a dream I had about two years ago. I don’t want to give away the story before you read it, so I’ll just say, the dream inspired the big, dramatic scene towards the end. Because of this,...

This writing tip came to me on two separate occasions. Unfortunately, I didn’t have my phone with me to take a picture either time. We’ve been talking about show don’t tell in writing. This subject came to mind as we were driving to Myrtle Beach. Off in the distance,...

A feminist title for a not so feminist story Fiction The Female Persuasion By Meg Woltzer 454 pp. Riverhead Books. $28. Despite what the title might lead you to believe, this book wasn’t preachy. Yes, it centers around a few feminist characters, but the story is about their lives...

Welcome to the first day of writing class. If we were in a traditional classroom, I’d give a quick introduction about myself and setup the class rules. Yes, there are rules in creative writing class. Not only would I go over the rules, I’d pass out a copy and...