Monthly Archives: March 2014

Telling Words

“Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. This requires not that the writer … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Something Wonderful

As we move into warmer, greener days, something to delight us all: “They always called it Magic and indeed, it seemed like it in the months that followed — the wonderful months — the radiant months — the amazing ones. … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

No Rules

“There are no rules about how to write a book and no one story about how one got finished.” Sheila York Oddly encouraged: that’s how I feel when I hear an author who’s open enough to talk about how difficult … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Have Fun!

“Have fun, and write what you love. When J.K. Rowling wrote the first Harry Potter book, and my boss, Arthur A. Levine, bought the American rights, fantasy wasn’t “hot.” Children’s books weren’t “hot.” British books weren’t “hot.” And publishing people … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Use Adversity

“Do you not see how necessary a world of pains and troubles is to school an intelligence and make it a soul?” John Keats “Everyone gets a chance to be a hero in a potentially great story.” Ed Agresta Sure, … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Listening In

Consider how you spend your day: seeing the sun slant across the floor in your room, smelling that first cup of hazelnut coffee, touching your silky comforter with your hands or that small nubbly rug by your bed with your … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Sparking Creativity

“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have. Maya Angelou “You can be cautious or you can be creative. But you can’t be a cautious creative…Good ain’t near great.” George Lois, art director Wonderful, isn’t … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Something Wonderful

In keeping with the relaxing, reflective nature of our precious weekend time, I am inaugurating a new weekly feature called “Something Wonderful” — I hope you’ll enjoy it! To kick off each weekend, I’ll be sharing something wonderful with you … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Prose Pruning

“I believe more in the scissors than I do in the pencil.” Truman Capote Our boy Truman has a point: pruning our prose is often one of the best ways to improve it. There are so many missteps that can … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Writing Lessons

Just breathing in the air in spaces once inhabited by writers you admire can be energizing and inspiring. A few years ago, a friend and I visited Emily Dickinson’s home in Amherst. Seeing the small, serene bedroom where she spent … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment