We all know that reading helps us gain skills and knowledge, and maybe even become better people (though of course, you can’t believe everything you read in the self-help aisle). Which is to say, reading helps us grow new synapses, and become brainier. So maybe I shouldn’t be surprised at the degree to which writing has taught me about the … Read More
When one door shuts…
We all know the saying: When one door closes, another one opens. Last month, I shared that I’d received some tough news from a colleague on my new novel–news that it wasn’t nearly as far along as I’d thought. Many of you wrote to share your appreciation for my honesty in sharing this, for the vulnerability in it. Some of … Read More
Why Complex Characters Aren’t Optional
There are two issues with character that I see over and over again in the course of my First 50 assessments: protagonists who are too good, and antagonists who are too bad. Protagonists who are too good have no clear internal issue. They might have gone through something hard in the past, but whatever that something is, it doesn’t seem to be … Read More
Big news! (And a big giveaway!)
It’s taken me the better part of both 2021 and 2022, but it’s FINALLY done: Story Medicine–the course for writers who want to use their power as storytellers to support a more just and verdant world. I’ve been an editor and book coach for over a decade now, and in this course, I’m sharing some of the most critical things … Read More
