Writer love: 2nd Teen Story Slam was amazing
Last November, a small circle of writers and I tried something daring. We asked local teens to come out and read something they’d written to a live audience. It could be a poem, a confession, a chapter from a novel in progress, or a short story. The uber-talented (and literary award-winning!) teens in our after […]
Teens, Music & The Sober Curious Movement
Please read my latest article on Huffington Post: Is the Sober Curious Movement the End of Teen Binge Drinking? Created by JAVI_INDY – Freepik.com For many teens, social activities never stop. With a smart device in hand, texts, posts, likes and shares are vital components of modern peer interaction. Parents often complain of adolescents glued to […]
Read on: Recommended media for fans of Ancient Rome …and opera
This is a collection in progress, a heartfelt, juicy and rewarding list of the pieces of research bringing me great joy, inspiration and explosive insights as I attempt to write my third book, a retelling of George Frideric Handel’s Agrippina. I’ve been digging deep since last September, and as many historical fiction writers will attest, […]
Just one week of meditation boosts creative problem solving
Please read my latest article on Huffington Post: Just One Week of Meditation Can Boost Creative Problem Solving From deciding what to eat for breakfast to handling a complex dilemma at the office, there is always more than one solution to any problem The paths linking a problem to any number of resolutions can become twisted […]
Teen Story Slam 2016 is coming!
On Bainbridge Island, we have a wonderful bi-annual celebration of storytelling called Story Slam. Held at a local restaurant, The Treehouse Cafe, friends and neighbors dare to take the stage to tell a 5-minute true story, without props. Random judges chosen from the always-packed-to-the-rafters audience tally scores to determine three winners. The stories are always memorable; funny, […]
I met the cast who inspired me to write Middle Grade
Over the weekend, I was invited to present my book to 100 Emmy nominees. (Tune in Sunday, September 18 to see who wins.) Believe me, I was both excited and honored to share what I’d written. The day was spent meeting young actors, bands, and recording artists who have been tapped to pick up an Emmy. A […]
Memoirs of Teen Writing Camp
There’s something magical and heart-warming about teens who choose to set aside a week of their summer break to craft their daydreams and ideas into captivating stories. I had so much fun teaching at the filled-to-capacity Teen Creative Writing Summer Camp last year, I couldn’t wait to do it again this year. The Teen Creative Writing Summer Camp […]
Getting Started in Writing – Class visit testimonial
I’d like to say a special thank you to all the writers who attended the Bainbridge Artisan Resource Network (BARN) inaugural “4th Thursday Roundtable.” We had a full house with every stripe of writer, from novelists to picture book writers, playwrights to poets. Thank you all for a wonderful evening! Author Anne Clermont and I spoke on the topic of Getting Started in […]
Cara Lopez Lee’s Thoughtful Rules for Compassionate Critiques
Note: I love when readers tell me WHAT they think they just read. Often what we are trying to imply in a scene comes across differently to different people, and this technique helps me gauge whether I’ve nailed it–or not.
10 Mother Figures in new novels – Great literary examples for writers
Let’s look at how some new novels showcase memorable fictional mothers. From loving, supportive mothers to complex, trailblazing mothers to selfish, vindictive mothers, this list from Andrea Lochen, author of The Repeat Year (Berkley, 2013) and Imaginary Things (see below) has it all!