The 3 ways I write.

When I write, I start by creating an “honest draft.” That means I suspend that part of myself that is desperately thinking, “Will people like this? Will people like me? Will they be mad or happy with this sentence?” I struggle with wanting everyone on the planet to...

How to be a better writer, part 1.

I spent four years in college studying journalism. I then spent 17 years as a full time, professional writer. I’ve written and published five books, but it wasn’t until this last one that I learned 3 important lessons about writing. (I was going to say, “lessons that...

The writer’s cabin is a myth.

Every writer secretly believes in the writer’s cabin. In our heads we see a small isolated cabin in a quiet patch of woods. There’s a porch with a swing out front. We sit on that when we need a break from all the amazing words we’ve written inside....

Pssst Writers! Quick book signing trick.

If you’re an author, and lots of you are, you are going to sign books. Here’s a trick my friend Robert D. Smith taught me. Always sign in blue sharpie, not black. Why? Well, the publisher can publish in black. Sometimes books are printed with a signature....