Do Writers Take Vacations?

Okay, so I have this bad track record of working on vacations. I thought I had reformed after a trip to New Mexico several years ago, when I literally chased a FedEx van to get a delivery from a publisher in a remote mountain village. I started traveling without my...

Sanity-Saving Revision Strategies

I’m still buried in revisions, and am working overtime today (whatever “overtime” means for writers) so I can take tomorrow off and attend Grub Street’s Muse and the Marketplace conference here in Boston. But as promised, here are some devices...

When art and life collide

Occasionally, art and life collide. Freaky coincidences happen. Sometimes that’s cool. But not when it involves a rock flying into your house at 2 am. Which is almost exactly what happens to some characters in the novel I’m busy revising. And which is...

Buried in paper, back next week!

I’m revising, revising, revising. I’ll be back next week with three handy and low-tech revision tips that so far seem to be working. Meanwhile, here’s a picture of my desk. It’s under there somewhere. So am I.

Revision Rest Stop

My writing metaphors frequently shift, but I find it’s always useful to have a metaphor, something to visualize. Some days it’s construction. I’m building a house, or wiring it, or setting up scaffolding, or simply running through the framework with...