blog
An archive of all my public posts.
Mastering “The Hook” in Your Writing
This essay is a summary of the points made in my recent Write Naked, Die Famous Podcast on the topic of Beginnings. Use this article as a reference. Listen here. Many of us think we can measure success in writing…
Are You Brainstorming or Beginning? Where Does Writing Start?
This essay is a summary of the points made in my recent Write Naked, Die Famous Podcast on the topic of Beginnings. Use this article as a reference. Listen here: Writing is hard work but for most of us, it’s…
Four Ways to Grab the Reader’s Attention in the First Sentence
Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t grab your reader in the first sentence, you could miss it. This essay is a summary of the points made in my recent Write Naked, Die Famous Podcast on the topic of Beginnings. Use…
Talking Schitt About Small Towns – Schitts Creek
Yesterday I caught the tail end of a show on NPR about Schitt Creek, a show on Amazon about a couple who lose everything and have to move to a town they bought as a joke called Schitt Creek to…
Book Review: The Art of Fiction by James Salter
James Salter is one of my favorite writers. His book “A Sport and a Pastime” was one of the most beautiful, evocative and memorable books I’ve read in my life. The simplicity of his language betrays the emotional complexity of…
How Pat Conroy Uses Dialogue to Reveal Character in Prince of Tides
Before I started writing stories and essays, I wrote plays. This was more of a happy accident than anything planned. I loved theatre and loved being in plays, but my performances were hit or miss. Some days, I was full…
Stress is a Choice
I went to college on the other side of the country from where I lived. It was a nine hour trip, with two layovers, not including travel to and from the airport. I went alone, sight unseen other than the…
Meeting Walter Kirn
The first time I met Walter Kirn was in the late 90s. When I met him again last year, I didn't expect that it would result in an adventure with Harper's Magazine!
Shouting Out Great Content!
Good morning! It’s the last day of my vacation. I’ve had a fabulous time with family in Boston and then New Hampshire for two weeks. We’ve had great food, gone on hikes, been zip lining, toured caves, cooked together, laughed…
How I Maximized My Creative Potential with a Ketogenic Diet
If you pay any attention to health and diet circles you have likely heard of the Ketogenic diet by now. Keto is a high fat, high protein, low carb diet designed to switch you metabolism to work in a state…
