Writing and Pumpkin Spice

It’s August, and the feeling of fall is in the air around here. This week, I tried making my own pumpkin spice latte, since I’m too impatient to wait for the Starbucks. It didn’t turn out all that well, so I tried again a day later. It was even worse. Sometimes, I need to learn […]

Three things I learned by (finally) finishing my first novel

It took me six years to turn the opening scene that blossomed in my imagination to the real-life debut mystery novel that’s now on sale at places like Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble and Kobo. I answered intangible little questions that rolled around in my mind, and I distilled three of them that I […]

The One With the Not-So-Effective Writing Goals

What ‘Friends’ Taught Me About Setting Goals and Sticking to Them There’s an episode of “Friends” where Joey decides to write a play after he gets rejected for an acting gig. Ross challenges him and Joey jumps on the idea. Ross even helps Joey come up with a writing schedule.  But OM damages each of […]

Write With a Coach

How working with a writing coach can spark creativity in teenagers. When I was in junior high school, I won a writing contest. It was in the eighth grade, if I recall, and it was a short story contest with a small cash prize. I don’t remember what the story was about, and I don’t […]