The concept of a writer’s retreat is intriguing, but the ones I’ve read about wouldn’t work for me at all. Not due to budget or time, it’s the location and setup that are all wrong. Attention organizers! Here’s what I need: Sequester me in a suite in a crime-infested area where I’m likely to be [...]

I spent most of the weekend at an outdoor blues fest and it was… okay. Didn’t love it, didn’t hate it, it was just… okay. And that’s not okay. It’s artistic and creative death. The “beware of” buzz at the writing conferences I’ve been to lately is “beware of allowing too much critiquing to muffle [...]

Talking and writing about girls who aren’t afraid to do flips and ride mega ramps is not the same as strapping on a pink rental helmet, borrowing a demo bike and testing out the mini-beginner ramps at an indoor bike park. I haven’t been that completely freaked out in a long time. On the plus [...]

The planets actually are aligning tomorrow. Be sure to take a look. Maybe that’s why I’ve been in Age of Aquarius mode lately. I’ve gone back to the old 1970’s granola-advice writing books similar to Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way. My latest find is Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones. Her chapters are filled with [...]

Goal: Write a novel that I’m proud of of which I am proud. Motivation: a) It’s all I want to do. b) It rationalizes talking to myself. c) Irritating people and situations are much more bearable as possible novel fodder. Conflict: The more I learn the more I realize I don’t know. Protagonist: Karen/Elizabeth Strengths: [...]