Recent Articles
There is no right or wrong way to write
Most writers are naturally curious people. We ask a lot of questions about the world. We wonder and challenge and try to make sense of the senseless. And we love to know how other writers do things—how they write a book, how they manage their time, how they...
No one likes losing…but we just might learn the most from it
It’s not unusual in my house to hear someone slam through the front door, along with the words, “I’m not playing with them anymore.” This could be for any number of reasons—someone’s cheating (according to the one upset), someone made them mad, or, the most frequent...
How to train like a writing athlete
Some creative people think that creativity only happens when the “muse” strikes. That always sounded strange to me. Who was the muse? Am I not my own muse? In charge of my own creativity? If I had to depend on some nameless, invisible muse, who may or may not show up...
How to play the mental game of writing
The first year I ran track in middle school, I remember my coach telling us, “Running is about 90 percent mental.” I remember thinking, That’s ridiculous. I’m not running with my mind, I’m running with my body. And my body is too tired for this. And as soon as I...
Practice makes progress: write one sentence after another
There’s a myth out there that says the longer you write the better you get at it. Okay, that’s not a myth. Practice makes progress, after all. But where the myth shows its face is in the belief that as you get better at writing, it also gets easier. Uh…I’m sorry...
Collecting ideas part 2: Cultivating what’s inside you
Part of collecting ideas includes not just searching outside yourself but also searching inside. I suppose this could also be a step in the process of developing ideas. We all have unique experiences and backgrounds that have shaped us into unique people....
Where do you get your ideas? Part 1
Ideas are all around us. The problem is, sometimes we’re so focused on other things, our eyes fixed on just about everything else, that we miss them. When I visit schools or I do author panels or interviews, I’m frequently asked where I get my ideas. My answer is...
Write a GREAT Book Even When Your Time is Limited
