I grew up in a somewhat idyllic, magical setting—by my standards. When I was about two years old, my parents bought a gorgeous three-story Federal-style brick house with an attached barn. The property included a sprawling wildflower meadow, a fruit orchard, woods, and a pond large enough for kayaking and … READ MORE
Since I was a child, I had a wild, unexplained yearning to create stories with imaginary people and animals. In fact, when I wrote a story about a good wolf (think I was seven or eight years old), I felt like I had a superpower. I’d just created a story … READ MORE
Active, vivid prose is one of the fundamental tools to liven descriptions. Concrete nouns, action verbs, and active voice are essential parts of descriptive language. Active voice is powerful and vigorous. Sentences written in active voice propel your story forward and keep the reader in the midst of what is … READ MORE
About 12 years ago, I began to write at 4:00 in the mornings because of my youngest child’s sleeping troubles. Back then, I was inconvenienced and annoyed. Eventually, though, I realized I had unwittingly stumbled upon the magical time of day to write (for me). My creativity responded to these … READ MORE
A couple of writing pals of mine once got into a debate over whether to characterize a mutual friend as a writer. She penned a novel-length journal of her summers with her grandmother. She had no intention of publishing the material or sharing it with anyone. She merely wanted to … READ MORE
Finding information is all the rage with the ease and power and fun of technology. Any time we need an answer to a question, if no one knows it off the top of their heads, someone will shout, “Google it!” and multiple devices light up with action. When I worked … READ MORE