Tag Archives: teaching

Why teach? (Encore)

There are a great many reasons why I teach, but I suspect the most important one is that it makes me feel good. I don’t know if that qualifies as weird or not, and frankly, I don’t care. I don’t … Continue reading

Posted in Historical writing, Memoir, novel writing, short fiction, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Arty rules are rubbery (Encore edition)

It’s not that I hate saying it; I hate having to say it. Arty rules are rubbery. When writing, whether for a fiction market or in a memoir, the rules aren’t immutable. They weren’t etched in granite via lightning strike or by … Continue reading

Posted in Memoir, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Arty rules are rubbery (Encore)

It’s not that I hate saying it; I hate having to say it. Arty rules are rubbery. When writing, whether for a fiction market or in a memoir, the rules aren’t immutable. They weren’t etched in granite via lightning strike nor by vengeful gremlins … Continue reading

Posted in Memoir, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Why teach?

There are a great many reasons why I teach, but I suspect the most important one is that it makes me feel good. I don’t know if that qualifies as weird or not, and frankly, I don’t care. I don’t … Continue reading

Posted in Historical writing, Memoir, novel writing, short fiction, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Progress? (Encore)

I’m having trouble writing an exercise for one of my classes. The students need an example of really dreadful writing. It needs to be so bad that it borders on the horrific. We’re not talking scary here; we’re talking poorly … Continue reading

Posted in Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

“You must invest in yourself if you hope to earn any interest.” (Encore)

I don’t know if that’s corny or profound, but I’m pretty sure it’s something my Father said, so I’ll go with profound. A determined, if small-scale, investor, Dad never bought a stock he hadn’t thoroughly investigated. And though he started … Continue reading

Posted in Memoir, novel writing, short fiction, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Thoughts on teaching–a retrospective.

I originally posted this about five years, seven or eight books, and a bunch of classes ago. I believe it’s still relevant and may be of interest. When I first declared myself a writer, long ago, I had no idea … Continue reading

Posted in Memoir, novel writing, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Finding My Voice

Betty Smith has kindly consented to provide the fourth entry in this series about the experiences of newly published authors. A retired college professor, Betty came late to the craft of fiction writing. I’m pleased to say she made up … Continue reading

Posted in Guest posts, novel writing, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Blogging for visibility

You’ve written a book. Maybe it’s your first. You slaved over it, making sure every word carried its weight; you nuked every unnecessary adverb and consigned every cliché to the septic tank cemetery. You shed angst like dog hair from … Continue reading

Posted in marketing, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

A Word or Two About Attitude

I’m often asked why I teach. The pay, if there is any, is pitiful, and I usually spend more time preparing to teach than I do teaching (although I’m getting a little better about that). The answer is that I … Continue reading

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