Characters and Craft – Learning to Leave Yourself Behind

originally published in Women Writers, Women’s Books Literary fiction is a strange, yet compelling animal. So much emphasis on language, rhythm, imagery. And let’s not forget character. Some novels are all about the character and the mad world behind her eyes. When I started writing fiction, my characters had a bad habit of sounding a […]

Moving Out & Moving On

After thirty years of living in our charming, leaning, creaky-floored Victorian, we’re moving on. Seattle has become too crowded for us, too busy and loud. It’s a city for younger people who don’t mind hauling groceries down the block because their parking spot vanished while they were at the store. We fell in love with […]

Overcoming Writer’s Block

originally published August 3, 2015 in Prose We’ve all had it, that moment when nothing comes to mind. Our words stare back at us, asking to be fleshed out, continued, fulfilled, and we can do nothing to help them. Our protagonist has gotten herself stuck firmly this time, and is going nowhere fast. The most […]