I’m connecting today to a post by Elizabeth Graver, whom I had the opportunity to study with at Boston College.   I’m launching into a new project that feels like it’s going to take five years to write just a first draft. For more immediate gratification, I’ve been working on a short story, a nonfiction […]

When studying an author’s canon, there’s always the question as to how many of his themes are run intentionally throughout his writing, and how much is the work of the subconscious.   I’m aware that my own experiences, opinions, and philosophies play a role in the conscious choices I make about how my characters will […]

I didn’t write a plot outline when I wrote my novel because, quite frankly, I didn’t know what was going to happen. If I were to do it again—and in fact, I am doing it again, as I begin a new project—I would take the time to write an outline. Why?   It’s become clear […]