Happy birthday, America!

July 4, 2021.Reading time 3 minutes.

Much like stories, America was nothing more than an idea that became a longer narrative that continues to be revised.

Do you take your own advice?

June 10, 2021.Reading time 6 minutes.

In my classroom, disagreements come with rules because for them, it needs to be a place of trust. After all, they are still learning, despite them thinking they don’t English classes in high school. It’s a promise I make to them on day 1 of school and it takes time to build the trust but when it’s there, students trust me to keep debates and disagreements free from judgement, free from name calling, free from bullying, free from all the nastiness. At the end of those discussions I remind them that this rarely happens online. It’s not meant to be a scare tactic, it’s meant to protect them from the lawlessness of the online world.

It’s advice that I should have taken.

Feeling like a static character?

April 29, 2021.Reading time 10 minutes.

The number one way readers judge characters is by how much they change. Do they change, or are they static? Most characters must change, especially the main character, but what about others characters in a story? Do they all change? No matter how slight of a shift, all characters should change. If they don’t, they risk not being in the story.

Static characters got me thinking about writing and writing habits. Has your writing changed over these last few years? Have your habits remained static? Is the thought of writing word after word too heavy? If so, how do we push or pull ourselves out of this rut? We must start by being honest.

Breaking in the Creative Process

March 31, 2021.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Know yourself, then you’ll know what you have to give. Breaking in the Creative Process

Feature Friday: Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody

February 19, 2021.Reading time 5 minutes.

Welcome to the second Feature Friday – the last Friday of the month, when I chat about books on the craft of writing. This month I am working through the chapters of Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody. I have many other books on the craft that I’m excited to share with […]

For the Love of books

February 5, 2021.Reading time 6 minutes.

As reading became a part of daily life for me, it became a struggle for my grandmother. It was heartbreaking knowing she would never again see words on the page.

Feature Friday: Called To Create by Jordan Raynor

January 29, 2021.Reading time 6 minutes.

“Get to know your why, everything else will fall into place thereafter.”

check your bags

January 2, 2021.Reading time 2 minutes.

I feel bad for the word resolution. It has a negative connotation associated with each new year. I do not set New Year’s resolutions because like many others, I fail at them. Quite frankly after 2020, I know a lot of people are refusing to set resolutions because if we learned anything from COVID-19, it’s […]