She had too much so with a smile you took some. Of everything she had you had Absolutely nothing, so you took some. At first, just a little. Still she had so much she made you feel Your vacuum, which nature abhorred, […]
I looked down at my hand while I was line editing and had to chuckle. I look like I’ve had an injury, but in fact the three band-aids I have on are to protect my fingers from writing calluses. Who says editing […]
Here’s a tip for making writing goals in 2015: don’t focus on accolades and publications. Instead, focus on output. As a writer, you have no control over what people think of your work. That means you have no control over whether an […]
Here’s part of an essay by Junot Diaz about the difficulty he had writing The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 2008. It’s pretty astounding what he went through. This essay originally appeared in Oprah Magazine. […]
Jack London may have been frequently drunk but he was also like the Stephen King of his day–the most famous, highest-paid writer around. He wrote 1,000 words a day, 6 days a week. This discipined practice allowed him to be highly productive […]
“I’se so drunk right now.” “Iz this sail-ma-bob thing help me stand?” “Whee I on a tree bench!” “Look at ma bootiful body. Athlete.” “These guys are the BEST. Best guys, youdon’tevenknow.” “Okay, horsie, you hold still, I’sa goin’ ride you. ‘K? […]
One often hears of writers that rise and swell with their subject, though it may seem but an ordinary one. How, then, with me, writing of this Leviathan? Unconsciously my chirography expands into placard capitals. Give me a condor’s quill! Give me […]
From Margaret Atwood’s interview in The Paris Review: INTERVIEWER Has motherhood made you feel differently about yourself? ATWOOD There was a period in my early career that was determined by the images of women writers I was exposed to—women writers as genius […]