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On January 22, 1999, I attended a writerly event at the University of Central Florida: “Distinguished Author Series: Margaret Atwood.” Yes, THE famous Margaret Atwood. You may know that Atwood, a Canadian, authored the best-selling, horrifying, dystopian novel, The Handmaid’s Tale (1985), which television producers — with their sights on America’s currently inflamed neurosis — are feeding the airwaves as a television series for all the world to watch. But in 1999 when I was standing in the aisle to … Read More »

NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month, is coming. It’s sort of a contest, though there’s no fee and no prize. The goal is to write a novel (50,000 words) in the month of November. You’re allowed to think out a plotline ahead of time, but the actual writing is supposed to fit into November. It’s easy to have a negative reaction to the pressure of trying to write a book in thirty days. Don’t worry, most people don’t finish a novel … Read More »

Exceptional writing. It is the level to which all of us aspire. We want our thoughts and ideas and words to inspire, move, and touch our readers. Exactly what does it take to reach that level of performance? A deep understanding of grammar and language?Vivid vocabulary? Writing classes to help understand the craft of writing? Creativity? While all of these things are critical to being successful as a writer, the easiest answer comes down to one word: practice. The more … Read More »