For today’s Wednesday Writing Prompt, I’m delighted to welcome Milwaukee-area writer Christi Craig. We met for coffee recently, and we talked about a passion of hers, flash nonfiction. She’s here to tell us more about the genre and challenge us to a flash fiction writing exercise. Ready, set, enjoy! Writing in Short Form: the Power...Read More

My children like to verbalize our dogs’ thoughts. As we ride in the car, they each give voice to one of the dogs, carrying on long conversations. Try it: Imagine what the animals in your novel have to say to each other. If your novel has no animals, imagine what your own animals are saying...Read More

I keep a journal filled with ideas for my blog and novel writing. Usually I jot down ideas as they hit me throughout the week—sometimes in the journal, often on the notes app on my mobile phone. Once in awhile, I think it would be fun to go on an idea hunt. You know—set aside...Read More

When I first read Jocelyn Koehler’s post, I was hopelessly behind the recommended word count and had been staring at my NaNoWriMo project on my computer screen for an hour, trying to figure out what to write next. After reading her post, I happily closed down my computer and headed to the library. The next...Read More

Whether you are a professional writer or a NaNoWriMo newbie, at some point writing begins to feel like a day job. You know what I mean, you’re showing up and turning in the words, but the work does not challenge or excite you anymore. You need to try extreme writing. Read on as our daredevil...Read More

Early in August, Martha Beck wrote a column about getting rid of stuff. Since I’d been madly tearing through my house, dumping books and old clothes into bags, and tossing them in the car for delivery to Goodwill, I paid attention. In her article, she raved about how helpful her Pray Rain Journal had been....Read More

See those spent dandelions? That’s my front yard. Every day I return home from the gym and wonder when someone will mow down those darn things. Then I remembered how my children used to delight in dandelions. At first,  they were simply a bright yellow reminder that the days were getting longer and warmer. Later,...Read More

When I write fiction, I tend to give characters the jobs that I’d like to have. As an author, I often think about working as a professor, librarian or bookseller. But lately, I’ve been thinking it would be fun to give a character one of my fantasy jobs—you know, the stuff you could never-in-a-million-years do...Read More

Last week, I happened upon artist Jane Mount’s Ideal Bookshelf series of paintings and fell in love! I lusted after this print of middle grade books that had already sold out and purchased another bookshelf of childhood favorites for now. I might just commission a painting of my own idea bookshelf. But what would I...Read More

Need Inspiration? Stop by and you could win a book! Today, I will be a guest on Debra Eckerling’s blog show Write On! Online on Blog Talk Radio (1:00 PM Pacific; 4:00 PM EST). If you need some inspiration or have a burning question, stop by! I’ll be giving away a copy of Write-A-Thon to...Read More