Category Archives: Uncategorized

« The brain is more powerful than we think it is. We pay more attention than we think we do. When we’re not so obstructed with the tools of recording, we’ll actually pay attention more. » Verlyn Klinkenborg Verlyn is a highly … Continue reading →

“There is one thing stronger than all the armies in the world; and that is an idea whose time has come.” Victor Hugo Today, February 10, is Boris Pasternak’s birthday—he was born in 1890. Abe Books sold an original, Russian … Continue reading →

Ah, there it is again: the ever-present, ever-critical inner editor. You know the feeling: You can be writing along on a creative roll, when suddenly, your inner editor is at it again, whispering in your ear What’s that pesky little … Continue reading →

The Lobster Quadrilleby Lewis Carroll “Will you walk a little faster?” said a whiting to a snail.“There’s a porpoise close behind us, and he’s treading on my tail.See how eagerly the lobsters and the turtles all advance!They are waiting on … Continue reading →

“Failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was, and began to direct all my energy to finishing the only work that mattered to me. Had I … Continue reading →

It is frosty here in the Northeast — very frosty—it’s 20 degrees outside. That’s cooo-ld! To help warm our hearts and souls, let’s turn to “Summer Sun,”* a lovely poem by Robert Louis Stevenson. Let me share a few lines: … Continue reading →

« There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are. » W. Somerset Maugham Quick questions: Did James Joyce like to write at night or in the morning? How about Hemingway? Did Marcel Proust prefer tea … Continue reading →

When J.K. Rowling was writing her now-legendary Harry Potter series, one of the tools she used at some point was a version of storyboarding: She mapped out her chapter outlines and plot points using vertical columns on a sheet of … Continue reading →

The first day of February is the day Langston Hughes was born in 1902. In honor of this legendary poet and the launch of Black History Month, here’s a wonderful poem of his a poetry lover passed on to me: … Continue reading →

Winter Timeby Robert Louis Stevenson Late lies the wintry sun a-bed,A frosty, fiery sleepy-head;Blinks but an hour or two; and then,A blood-red orange, sets again. Before the stars have left the skies,At morning in the dark I rise;And shivering in … Continue reading →