This weekend I had the chance to hear a sixteen-year-old harpist play a Mozart concerto on two harps—playing one with his left hand and the other with his right, the type of tour de force you know he learned how to do not because someday a handful of people sitting on some wooden benches would applaud…
Month: September 2015
On what happens when you stop trying
I’m allergic to cats. I sneeze, my eyes turn red, I break out in big blotchy hives, I can’t breathe. So if I’m ever in the vicinity of a cat, I do not touch the cat, I do not say the cat’s name, I do not even look at the cat. Of course that means…
On how to write just right
Every time a writer asks me, “Do you think if I do what this editor suggests, my novel will get published?” I have to pause to experience a moment of pity before I can respond. If only it were that simple. Let me explain. In one corner are those editors who you might hire yourself…
On the Importance of Having a Skill Set
We are driving around running errands. Jessica is listening to me sigh as the traffic is funneled down to one lane and goes slowly. Me: They’re doing so much road construction! Maybe they should finish one project before they start another, you know? Jess: They are building bridges in Kansas City. I saw them with…
On what I’m working on
I’m working on a novel in a genre that’s new to me and it’s not going well partly because I don’t know what I’m doing (see “genre that’s new to me”) and partly because Jess is back at school and isn’t here to keep me off Facebook during the workday. Jess: What did you…