What I Learn from Reading
I’m reading stories this week for the American Library of Paris’s Young Author Fiction Festival. It’s the fourth time I’m a judge for this writing contest. From twenty-six short stories by authors aged eleven to twelve, I am to select…
The Cave of My Unconscious
In my unconscious exists a cave where I often hide out. The cave has been there forever, but I only recently brought a detailed image back with me when I woke.
Los Angeles Writing Retreat
Thanks to two kind, clever, funny, generous, and inspiring friends, Daniel and I lived in a house in Silver Lake. Our Los Angeles Writing Retreat. We worked on our manuscripts with a view of the mountains. Our kitchen possessed a…
To Tell or Not to Tell: Speaking about Work in Progress
Some authors refuse to speak about their work in progress. They don’t want to contaminate their fragile ideas with other people’s opinions. Or they fear colleagues might steal their plans before they can finish the book. Or they don’t want…
Thick Bleeding Numbers
The young woman for whom I was writing down my number stayed kind. She didn’t question my inability to accomplish a task so simple or judge me for my incompetence.
The Art of Revision
Inspired by multiple fundraising events in my neighborhood in Hoi An, I decided to donate my time and teach a writing class for the many authors that happen to live here.
