Our house is undergoing a renovation right now (thus the unexplained hiatus here). In addition to doing beautiful and timely work, our contractor gave me an insight on the power of story.   Somehow we got to talking about tools we use to remember things. He told me about a conference he attended that involved […]

This weekend I sat down for a writing session, intending to write and write and write until it was time to make dinner (which, for the record, was a clean-out-the-freezer extravaganza of dumplings, fish sticks, and chicken tenders; I was a heroine).   I started, but quickly found that wasn’t where I needed to be […]

Most writers have asked themselves the same question at some point: To outline or not to outline?   I’d say, “Yes.”   Outlining–whether before writing a first draft or after the seventh full-length revision–can give insight as to how well tension is paced and whether a character’s emotional trajectory is realistic. Plotting out the order […]