After I read in the New York Times that The Golden Notebook author Doris Lessing, who won the 2007 Nobel Prize for Literature, passed away this morning, I …
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Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
6 Literary Quotes & a Bouquet of Newly-Sharpened Pencils on this 1st Day of Autumn
On this autumnal equinox - the perfect balance of day and night as the sun dips below the equator and we in the northern hemisphere move into autumn - I thought …
Three Things I Learned from Alice McDermott
Early in my writing career, I had the incredible good fortune to study with National Book Award winner Alice McDermott. The story of how she got started writing …
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5 Fun Tips on Writing and on Life – from Agatha Christie on the Occasion of her Birthday
Agatha Christie was born 123 years ago today--an old bird by any measure, and yet she remains one of the most read authors ever. Here are a few tips from the …
Writing Advice and Inspiration from Elmore Leonard (1925 – 2013): #10. Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip.
I heard on NPR this morning that Elmore Leonard passed away, and immediately thought of his wonderfully funny - and simply wonderful - 10 Tips for Writers. What …
A Literary Father's Day: 5 fabulous quotes about fathers
Just a few of my favorite literary quotes about fathers, to celebrate Father's Day: "Goodbye, Papa, you saved me. You taught me to read." - Markus Zusak, The …
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6 Weeks in the English Lakes #2: A Literary Map
If you don't know where the English Lakes are, pull out your trusty map of England and look as far north and west as you can. (Go too far, and you'll end up in …
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Caroline Leavitt Throws Stones at Her Own Characters – a 1st Books Interview
The New York Times Modern Love column had already turned her down twenty times, but no matter: she lobbed in another submission—about her pet tortoise. And when …
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Nancy Pearl on Judging a Book by its Cover
I came across this lovely bit in Nancy Pearl's Book Lust this week, and it screamed "Friday Fun!" “If you're 50 years old or younger, give every book about 50 …
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Mark Twain on Separating Characters from Corpses
An email from a reader this morning reminded me of my favorite Mark Twain quote, which I used in The Wednesday Sisters but have, surprisingly, never shared …
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