Writer’s life
Nova Scotia Bound
I’m off to Halifax on Saturday to take part in the wonderful “Word on the Street” events on Sunday as well as doing a reading at “The Inside Story” in Greenwood, Nova Scotia on Wednesday evening, Sept. 26. I’m excited. I LOVE Nova Scotia and look forward to seeing old friends. One of the things…
Read MoreOUR DAILY BREAD & The Giller Prize
Well, today started out pretty darn well. I heard OUR DAILY BREAD was longlisted for the Giller Prize. All prizes are, of course, as much a matter of luck and timing as anything else. I know there were some wonderful books published this year that didn’t make it onto the list. I also know it’s…
Read MoreAnd Just What, May I Ask, Are Your Intentions?
There’s an interesting piece about literary criticism in the Aug. 15, 2012 New York Times, written by literary critic Dwight Garner, called “A Critic’s Case for Critics Who Are Actually Critical.” It’s a fun article to read, peppered as it is with just the sorts of anecdotes that make us want to read critical snark…
Read MoreBooks, books, and . . .
I was teaching a writing workshop on Saturday and the subject of reading came up, as it often does. Students are not surprised when I suggest that, if they really want to be writers, they also have to be readers. What does seem to surprise some of them, though, is how much reading I suggest…
Read MoreWe Remain Faithful
“Talent is long patience.” — Gustave Flaubert A few years ago I lay on the couch in my living room, curled up into a fetal position, intermittently groaning and blinking back tears. I felt as though everything I had worked for had been ripped away from me, as though I had arrived at the party…
Read MoreMusic Of The Spheres (cerebrally speaking)
Students often ask me how I manage to get to the page. They want to know if I light candles, do yoga, drink coffee, read poetry . . . I answer yes to pretty much everything, although I do none of those things consistently. (And besides, I’m not sure any such advice is helpful to…
Read MoreAt The Mercy Of Our Perceptions . . .
Well, OUR DAILY BREAD is out in Canada now, and I’m delighted with the Canadian edition. Beautiful new cover, deckle edges, French flaps. I think Harper Collins has done a terrific job, and so far the response from readers has been good. Which means, of course, I have to start thinking about what I’m going…
Read More10 Truths for Emerging Writers (hint: think slow)
I heard from an emerging writer recently who said she’d been crushed, devastated, destroyed by the feedback she’s received on her book, which she recently self-published, and by the lack of sales. She was so convinced it was brilliant. Now she feels as though readers are idiots or else she’s utterly deluded. Either way, she’s…
Read MoreMusehouse Reading
Bookbound has an article about my upcoming reading at the Musehouse Center for the Literary Arts in Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia on Saturday, Feb. 18th. I think the writer, Nicolette Milholin, did a fine job with it. You can read it here. Hope some of you can make it to the reading!
Read MoreShooting the Crow
I lead a monthly writing workshop called SHARPENING THE QUILL, details of which you can find elsewhere on this website. I named the workshops that because a long time ago I heard an anecdote about John Ruskin (at least I think it was John Ruskin) (NOTE — as you can see from the comments below,…
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