Asking Questions For months I’ve had this statement written on the whiteboard in my office: “An editor asks questions.” I had initially written it down while brainstorming for a different blog post, but I ended up leaving it up as Read more
Beginnings As an angsty tween (and then teen) many, many years ago, I wrote prolifically. Beginnings mostly. Beginnings of stories, beginnings of novels. I actually finished a couple of stories—one for my final project in eighth-grade English; another for a Read more
I recently had the opportunity to interview friend and fellow writer Margaret Montet about her forthcoming book, Nerd Traveler. While Margaret has had many essays and articles published through the years, this is her first full-length book. The publishing industry Read more
Venturing Out I’m a person who likes my comfort zone. However, for many years now, I’ve made an effort to regularly venture outside of my comfort zone. I make it a point to try things that are a bit scary; Read more
[Editor’s Note: This post was originally published as the author’s newsletter on July 11, 2020, and has been modified slightly from its original version.] I’m Scared to Send You My Letter “Your post today is so powerful. I’ve learned something Read more
Words Matter A friend recently expressed frustration regarding an author’s use of contractions; the book in question was a self-help type of book, with an informal tone and supportive voice. The friend called this author’s use of contractions “lazy writing,” Read more
My Joy Report Six months ago, inspired by a friend’s joy report, I wrote my own. (The same friend also recently wrote an end-of-2020 joy report.) Seeing as we are in the midst of a new beginning (i.e., a new Read more
Healing with Time It is said that time heals all wounds. I wonder, though, if maybe time gets too much credit. Is it really time that does the healing? And what about the wounds that don’t heal with time? The Read more
Losing Graciously At any one time, I likely have 20 to 25 games of Scrabble going on my Scrabble Go app. As the saying goes, I win some and I lose some. Whether I win or lose, though, I always Read more
Pleasure Reading Vs. Obligatory Reading I’ve always fancied myself a voracious reader, and indeed, until a few years ago, I was one. During my last grad school stint, I’d resolved to—and looked forward to—resuming my pleasure reading once I was Read more