Nothing is on the oak desk except my humming laptop and notebook. Every window is an art installation with mobiles and colored glass bottles. The
Read Morewriting retreats
The Incredible Weirdness of Being a Writer
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
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A Survival Guide for Women Writers
Whenever I speak to aspiring writers at libraries or bookstores, I inevitably hear stories like these from women: “I used to write, but
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How Do You Kill Your Darlings and Lose 100 Pages?
In his iconic memoir on writing, Stephen King says, “Kill your darlings, kill your darlings, even when it breaks your egocentric little scribbler's
Read MoreHow to Keep Your Writing Warm When You Can’t Write
It's a blessing to take a writer's retreat, whether you do it officially at a place like Yaddo or the MacDowell
Read MoreFour Stumbling Blocks to Writing a Novel: How to Hurdle Them and Keep Your New Year’s Resolution to Write a Novel in 2014!
“I'm going to finally write that book,” you vowed on New Year's Eve. Maybe you whispered it to your partner in bed, or brazenly
Read MoreHow to Make the Most of Your Writing Retreat
Every year, when my husband asks what I want for my birthday, my answer is always the same: “To run away from home.” This year, he
Read MoreIt Takes a Village to Raise a Child—and to Publish a Book
The title of Hilary Clinton's bestselling book, IT TAKES A VILLAGE: AND OTHER LESSONS CHILDREN TEACH US, was based on an
Read MoreWhy You Need a Writing Retreat and How to Make the Most of It
As I write this, I'm in a house on the tip of Cape Ann in the dead of winter, in a place where I don't know a soul. I couldn't be happier. I'm on a
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