Department of Redundancy Department

Redundancy in writing occurs when a writer says the exact same thing twice and repeats herself. While there are elegant uses of repetition, repetition that clarifies a point, repetition that emphasizes a point, and repetition that adds rhythm and euphony to a...

The Canine Cure

In my thirty-year career, I’ve suffered the repetitive stress injuries and muscular-skeletal problems that result from overuse of my hands, poor ergonomics and too much sitting. I’ve developed carpal tunnel syndrome in both wrists, tendonitis in both hands, and...

My Year In Review

My greatest achievement this year has been consistency: I’ve walked out to my studio and written in solitude almost every day, sometimes only for a couple of hours, and sometimes from dawn until dark. This year, I’ve put drafting Ellen ahead of everything, including...

Befriending Doubt

If hope is the thing with feathers, then Doubt is the thing with claws. After writing gloriously since August, I’ve come to the end of yet another draft of Ellen, a novel. No sooner did I lay my keyboard aside, then Doubt barged in and started clawing at my...

With Permission

           One hundred and fifty years ago, on November 19, 1863, Abraham Lincoln delivered his now famous Gettysburg Address, a document remarkable not just because it’s so eloquent, but also because it is so brief. In the interest of responsible writing practices,...