Beginning Writers

In Praise of Public Libraries

I recently had the honor of speaking at the 2016 New England Library Association Conference. As I walked up the steps to the podium, I kept my eyes

How Do You Write a Novel? Learn the Rules. Then Break Them.

It's tempting to believe that novelists who have already published books know “the secret.” But every novel, whether it's your first or

Should You Track Word Count While Writing a Novel? Yes, No, and Maybe So

If you eavesdrop on a conversation between writers, it's easy to mistake talk about craft for something else. Marathons, maybe. “I had

I Wrote for 17 Minutes Yesterday!

Last weekend, I participated on two different author panels during the 2016 Newburyport Literary Festival, an event packed with

How One Coach Got Me Off the Couch—and Inspired My Writing

I'm the mother of three champion long distance runners. I honestly don't know how that happened, since I was never a runner. But I showed up at almost

When Writing, Sometimes All You Can Do Is Jump

The most important thing every writer has to do is take a leap of faith. What does that mean, exactly? That, no matter how stuck you are at the

Confessions of a Ghost Writer: Pay No Attention To That Woman Behind the Curtain

Recently, I appeared on a radio show to promote a literary event. We were talking about my latest novel, but inevitably the

Vow to Write Better, Not Faster in 2016, Despite Our Binge-Loving Culture

Recently, I was skimming the front pages of the New York Times book review when I caught this item: Jonathan Safran Foer's new novel,

The 5 Worst Things a Writer Can Say

This past week, I launched my fifth novel, Chance Harbor, provoking a friend to exclaim, “Wow, you're popping out books like Tic Tacs,

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Beginning Writers