On the challenges of writing fiction, part 2

Jessica and I went to the beach for our annual summer vacation. Jessica was under the impression that beach vacations included actual activities. But despite our slight difference in priorities, we had a wonderful time. ### My collection of travel stories, Travels with Jessica, is now available! Kindle and paperback here; other ebook formats here….

I am talking on the phone with a friend of mine about freelancing and how to make the work of marketing ourselves more efficient. She mentions that a career coach she knows says that the way to get people to buy your brand when you are the brand is to sell your lifestyle as something…

So I promised myself that I wouldn’t overschedule my time this summer,  because I wanted to have plenty of opportunity to finish a handful of creative projects I’ve been working on since forever. This is how I thought it would go:   But if you have been following along, you know that it has gone…

At the coffee shop, two young women who’ve recently completed their freshman year of college are comparing notes and talking about what they’ll be doing in the fall. Then they move on to a discussion about applying for study abroad programs that will take place in their junior year, and one of them says, “It’s…

I like to think I am a highly organized, super-together individual who happens to be a writer, and not one of those flighty people we often imagine when we think of the word “writer.” But sometimes I am one of those flighty people. So I started by spending fifteen minutes looking for my glasses. And…

Being gone on vacation means a lot to catch up when I return. So, I do not allow interruptions.   But Jessica tries anyway.   “There’s a cute guy at the door for you.”   But I am not deterred.   “Your agent’s on the phone. Maybe she sold your book.”   But I am…