meandery me

I wrote a book. An entire book! It’s been revised and is currently in the hands of beloved beta readers before being subjected to another...

Most of the requests I get for proofreading or editing assistance come from students. Undergraduate to graduate, they're all looking for...

I write southern fiction. Why? Well, because that's where my roots dig deepest, burrowing through the red clay of my childhood. And if we...

Let me tell you why. Writer's are supposed to have these vast stores of imagination and inspiration, socked away for future reference, in...

Judging from the content of my Twitter and Facebook feeds, it seems most people spend the week between Christmas and New Year's Day in...

I recently read Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth. Man, let me tell you, I found myself nodding along with...

I am fascinated by both etymology and philology. To see how words and their meanings change through time and use, and how those changes...

This week's discussion board in one of my MFA courses asked us to consider the "myths" of writing. The how-tos, the how-not-tos, which...

Do you ever reach that point in your writing where you feel as though you simply can't go on? Your characters or your plot are fighting...

It's a common phenomenon among graduate students, promotion recipients, award winners, and others who achieve unexpected success - no...

Many experts will tell you that, as a writer seeking to perfect your craft, you must write every single day. I can’t completely disagree....

We've all met them. Characters who just lie "blah" on the page. Sometimes this is okay, say for instance, when the character is an...

I know, I know, rules are boring. Rules are for squares. (Does anyone say "squares" anymore?) Rebels break the rules! Fight the machine!...

While it may seem simple, finding your voice is one of the trickiest elements of craft to master. I blame the way we are taught to write....

We've all experienced the drag imposed on a story when action is interrupted by unnecessary scene or setting description. If a warrior...