Feb 25, 2010 | writing craft and process
Over the past three winters, I’ve been learning how to ski. Friends tell me that I spent that first winter learning, and now, two and a half winters later, I’m not learning anymore—I am doing. I am skiing. Honestly, I don’t feel qualified to say I’m...
Feb 15, 2010 | personal growth, writing craft and process
An author and I were talking about her new novel, which at the time was very much a work in progress. She was upset because she wasn’t as far along in the writing of the book as she thought she’d be by the time we met. Further, the story seemed to be taking some turns...
Feb 2, 2010 | personal growth, writing craft and process
stillness in the white spacePoetry is one of my favorite forms of expression. It wields strength by virtue of its delicacy. It invigorates through its fragility. It expresses majesty in its simplicity. And in the seemingly quiet white space between and among the...
Jan 23, 2010 | writing craft and process
Telling a story – writing a story – is about connecting with a reader. And the storytelling in and of itself is about connections of many kinds. Connections between characters, connections between themes, connections between the beginning, the middle and the end....
Jan 15, 2010 | personal growth, writing craft and process
In the process of revision, I discover things. – Rita Dove In my capacity as an editor, I cannot count the number of times I’ve expected an author or illustrator to revise their work. The expectation for revision comes with every manuscript draft and with every batch...