Writing a novel, especially a first novel, can be a long, hard process. A few years ago, I began working on a novel that focuses on a mother-in-law and a daughter-in-law and examines the complexities of in-law relationships as well…
I have a complicated relationship with the word “slush.” In the seventh grade, my stepbrother ratted me out for “borrowing” 71 pennies from my parents’ penny jar to buy a slushie at the 7-11. I got a stern talking to, which…
This post originally appeared on Jungle Red Writers. I’m from a small town. East Bridgewater, Massachusetts. Population: almost 11,000 when I last lived there. That was 1993, the year I graduated high school. A half-year earlier Kent “Rusty” Taber Jr….
This is the time of year that makes us wish we were back in school. Not because we want homework or tests, but because we want back to school clothes, back to school shoes (black patent leather ones, please), stacks…
The days are still bright and hot throughout much of the country, but September and current events around the world have us in a darker, more contemplative mood. Sometimes, the biggest gift of stories is the opportunity to escape reality for a…
Every revision has its own character. There’s the first messy revision, during which you try to cull from the confusing mass of pages some sort of a narrative. The second brings with it massive structural changes (in my case, cutting…