Back in 2020, on a literal mountain top, a vision came to me in the form of three words: Workshops Against Empire. I was standing on a mountain top because it was the lock-down phase of the pandemic, and how else was I going to celebrate my birthday except by going on a backpacking trip? And sure, those words were … Read More
Why I don’t believe in writer’s block
When people talk about “writer’s block”—or depict it in television or movies—it’s treated like some mysterious ailment that descends without warning, effectively paralyzing the writer for no obvious reason. Or perhaps for reasons that are a little TOO obvious: The writer has suddenly become insecure about their abilities… or is stymied by their fear of failure (often with a second … Read More
Something special to share: In Floating Fields
Sometimes a story emerges from deep inside your bones—from your deepest childhood memories, from the architecture that shaped your imagination. “In Floating Fields” is such a story, and I’m pleased to share that it’s now available in the online edition of StoryQuarterly. (It will be featured in the print edition later this year.) It’s a story set in part in my … Read More
Two critical questions for any novel
It wasn’t so long ago I confessed to you I’d never actually written a first draft of a novel based on an outline, but that’s not entirely true. The novel I’m writing now started off as a short story—so my first draft wasn’t much of a draft at all. And now that I’m actually writing this novel? Man, I am … Read More
