When it comes to reading books, do you have commitment issues? And by this, I don’t mean fear of committing to a book. I mean the opposite: fear of abandoning a book, even if you don’t like it. I’ll confess, I’ve struggled with book commitment issues. I have slogged through countless books that I didn’t […]
Hope, Caught in a Handful of Essays
If you’re worried about the next generation, I have good news. They’re going to make us proud. Back in April, I had the privilege of being a judge for a Colorado high school’s essay contest. I only got to read 6 of the 57 entries, but even so, I am encouraged. The kids are alright. […]
10 Ways Writers Celebrate Spring
In the spring a writer’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love. And murder. And family drama. And history. And alien worlds. And vampires with a three-legged dog, an unfulfilling career, relationship woes, and daddy issues. Here are ten ways writers celebrate spring. It may not do as much for their house’s curbside appeal as, […]
When the Internet Returns Lost Things
When I was young and in school, two poems found me and wedged themselves into my memory like a shim wedging a gap beneath a door. The first was in high school. It was written, said our teacher, by a person in a jail cell, looking out his very tiny window. I remember neither the […]
Why Does Writing Look Effortless?
Of all the arts, why is writing the only one that looks effortless? Why is the struggle of learning to write so invisible to the outside world? Can they not see the blood, sweat, late nights, and myriad revisions? No one wakes up in the morning and decides to be a concert pianist by lunchtime. […]
Perfect Writing Conditions and Other Fantasies
It happened again. I looked out my office window this morning, and there was no sign of the turquoise waters of the Caribbean, palm trees swaying in a salt-tinged breeze, or seabirds swooping over frothy waves. Instead, I was greeted by my normal view of my Colorado neighbors’ houses, fresh snow dusting last week’s old […]
