Throwaway notes, forever hugs

Some of my best words to my children wind up in the trash, covered in the smears of messy mouths and runny noses. Wadded up and tossed out – but not wasted – these words are loving in the moment they are written and encouraging in the moment they are read. Mostly....
Why writers should live in messy houses

Why writers should live in messy houses

I used to live on a busy street, a main thoroughfare for our town. I told my friends that if they drove by and my grass looked green and my garden was blooming, it meant I hadn’t been writing because I was maintaining my yard instead.  Where I live now we hire a lawn...
First draft and second guesses

First draft and second guesses

After printing the 194 pages of the first draft of my novel, I broke it into 27 chapters – some are too long and a few are too short, but Chapter 4 is just the right length and also makes a better Chapter 1 so I made that switch. I’ve got a working title (to be...
The End = Edit

The End = Edit

On November 1, 2014, I joined thousands of writers worldwide who pledged to take part in National Novel Writing Month by penning a 50,000-word novel in 30 days. I’m pleased to report that I completed the challenge in 79 days with 62,541 words. I did not fail by going...

In memoriam of my first novel

(The following essay was written, saved and closed, April 14, 2014; resurrected, revised and posted, December 4, 2014) Is it possible for a character to live in the minds of two authors who have never crossed paths? Or is that as preposterous as one child being born...
Finished, but not done

Finished, but not done

I crossed two finish lines this week, though neither meant the end of anything. The first was at the four mile marker of the Denver Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day. I didn’t win any prizes, coming in 4428 out of about 10,000 racers. Undaunted, I will keep running...