how to write a novel

On Dogs and Writing

It's raining again. This is the third day in a row where I've had to take the dogs outside beneath wind-lashed trees, my supposedly waterproof jacket

Last month, I flew to Oregon to visit my daughter. Our mission, in part, was to find her a wedding dress, but because neither of us is much of a

This weekend is the Newburyport Literary Festival, and I'm thrilled to be moderating a panel called “Inspiration to Publication: The Journey of a

My arm is itching like crazy because I have a poison ivy rash shaped like Italy. At least it's not as bad as a couple of years ago, when my arm

Recently, one of my writing students asked for advice on how she should structure her novel. “I already have fifty pages and I don't know

It's easy to give up on your writing. Whether you're working on a novel, a memoir, a short story, or an article, writing is hard. Not

After my beloved dog Leo died, I entered a thick fog of grief. I felt his absence keenly because he was such an integral part of my life,

As necessary as libraries have always been to me for books and quiet spaces, until recently I never understood that libraries provide

I went on a writing retreat recently. Nothing fancy; this wasn't one of those places where you're in a cabin in the mountains and people