Where do our ideas come from? Every time I meet with a group for a reading or a signing, this question gets asked. And to be honest, I never have a clear answer. There are a few guesses I could make: the subconscious mind; dreams, which come from the same source. If I were …
‘You are where you are, until you’re somewhere else.’ This quote seemed silly to me at first, so obvious that it almost didn’t need to be said. But then I started thinking about it in terms of my work. There are so many times when I’m beginning a draft or a synopsis that I simply …
Every time I open a novel, I feel as if I am going on a journey. A voyage of discovery with characters I do not yet know, but who I hope I will to come to love. That doesn’t always happen, of course, though I always want it to. I want to fall in love …
It is one of the best feelings in the world to hear that a manuscript I’ve been working on for months is locked. The editor is happy with it, I’m happy with it, and it can go on to be copy edited and eventually, come out into the world. It is a thrill to realize …
In life and in art,times of change can be the most important moments. When we move from one act of the novel to the next, from one book to the next, from one chapter of our lives to the next, we find ourselves balancing as on the edge of a knife, careful not to look …
Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart. ~William Wordsworth This is one of my favorite quotes on writing, from one of my favorite sources. In the midst of our work, in the midst of trying so hard to get it right, there are times when we forget this. We want our books to …