Well, okay, maybe not a license to kill. How about a passport? What does that have to do with writing? The passport is for a research trip to India, a setting I’m using in a new novel I’m developing, and I’ve never been to India. Whenever I am forced to deal with the government, I [...]

I’ve spent the last week staring into space a lot…hitting the pool nearly every day…cooking and baking like I haven’t enjoyed for weeks…actually READING A BOOK that is not my own! Playing music with lyrics–loudly! For all practical purposes, I haven’t written a word, except emails, for a week now.
I have NOT stopped writing! Matter [...]

During the course of my writing career, I have gained something more important than awards, more faithful than editors, more vital than computers. I have built my community of writers. There are many things important to a writing career: talent, discipline, desire, stubbornness. We need an education in how to put our stories together, whether [...]

Whether or not a writer enjoys collaborating on projects with other writers tends to be a very individual thing.
I co-wrote three science fiction/fantasy short stories with my friend, romance writer Kathy Chwedyk. In each case, I accepted an invitation into a themed short story anthology, then realized I couldn’t think of a story. (I’ve been [...]