Where do they come from, those fascinating, complex, enigmatic-yet-familiar characters who populate our favorite fiction? Writers are always asked that; by their readers, friends and even other writers. Like much of the art we love most, the answers are as varied as the characters themselves. There’s no right way to bring them to life, and… Continue Reading
People often ask me if I’m “disciplined” about the number of hours I spend writing, and what goes on in my day to produce my best and newest work. What they really want to know is if I have a creative routine. I answer by explaining that a lot… Continue Reading
“Why am I such a wimp?” one of my friends moaned in despair. “What’s wrong with me? Why can’t I be that adventurer I used to be?” I listen closely because the question and tone are familiar; often ricocheting around in my own head and through conversations with other people my age. One of this… Continue Reading
“A writer is someone who has taught his mind to misbehave.”—Oscar Wilde One of my favorite Oscar Wilde quotes identifies a writer as someone who has trained his or her mind to misbehave. I chose it as the representative quotation in the ‘Who Says?’ column on my blog last week, and I’ve left it up… Continue Reading
“Eat fast,” my bunkmate said. “We have to be at Shop soon.” “If you need supplies, you have all day,” I informed her; trying hard to show I’d acclimated to the camp schedule. “The shop doesn’t close until just before dinner.” “Not the shop where you buy stuff, Dummy! ‘Shop…where you do woodwork,” she said… Continue Reading
A group of seven seemingly disparate people came together recently to begin a creative workshop experience unlike any other; at least, none they’d come in contact with before. The idea germinated in a lecture given on a Mozart concerto at the Julliard School. I had the good fortune of stumbling on it at the invitation… Continue Reading