Category Archives: Uncategorized

Few of us have the luxury of being able to write for long, productive, uninterrupted stretches each day. And when life gets busy, it can be difficult to hold on to the belief that “yes, I am a writer.”I try to do some small thing each day, whether it is rereading and revising a chapter,Continue reading “Do a Small Thing Each Day”

I am planning a trip this summer to the small town in southern Illinois where I grew up. I didn’t even live in the town; I lived on a farm seven miles outside of the county seat, a town of 3,000 people, not close to anything. Most of my friends from childhood still live inContinue reading “Can You Go Home Again?”

Just two weeks ago the publisher of my novel, The Gate House, closed its doors. It was a difficult decision for the group who have worked so hard over the last few years to keep a small company afloat, but consequently, I am looking for a new home for my novel. I have completed aContinue reading “My Novel is an Orphan”

For all of us who still have a “day job,” it is often difficult to take oneself seriously as a writer. As much as we might say, “I am a writer,” it is easy to shunt the writing tasks off to the end of the day, after work, household tasks, family, shopping and even exercise.Continue reading “Taking Myself Seriously as a Writer”

I am a writer. I get up in the morning and think about which of my projects I will work on today, since I always have several projects I am balancing in various stages of development. Currently, I am working on revising my latest novel, which is tentatively titled Lydia’s Story. And I will beContinue reading “Different Kinds of Creativity”

I am always wary of giving my books away for free because, of course, I wantpeople to buy them.But recently I received a handwritten note in the mail from an elderly cousin ofmy father, who had heard about my book from someone in the family, and wantedto know where she could buy one. She isContinue reading

Sometimes the memory of a favorite childhood food is better than the reality. My mom used to make something that I, as a child, dubbed “cookie candy.” It is baked in a square or oblong pan and consists of a cookie layer topped with a meringue and brown sugar mixture and baked all together. IContinue reading “Cookie Candy”

Illicit Cultural Property: Shame on Sam Brownback: “‘Tragic Prelude’, John Steuart Curry, in the Kansas Statehouse States which are not always able to lure arts organizations and touring com…”

“Where do you get your ideas?” is a question writers are often asked. And while ideas burst into life anywhere from family stories to personal experience to newspaper articles, an idea does not become a piece of writing without silence and time to daydream.Just like a seed, an idea needs to be left alone toContinue reading “Daydreaming”

I am constantly starting over, regrouping, reorganizing and trying to simplify. This applies to to writing as well as my life in general. This morning I drove to my substitute teaching job, only to be told that the district had decided to close the school for students, meaning no work for substitute teachers.I returned homeContinue reading “Starting Over Again on a Snow Day”