I’m not talking about the phone directory. I’m talking about what my son brings home, without fail, from his Montessori preschool each day: a small rectangular piece of white paper completely covered with yellow paint.
The first few days he … Read more
Everybody wants to write a winning story, but how do you do it? Some answers here, although not really from me. I have written stories–quite a few, in fact–and they won me some small money while I was in college. … Read more
You have to stick with your work till it sells. That’s my answer to the question, “How long will it take me to get published?” And it’s pretty much the same whether we’re talking about placing a story, landing an … Read more
According to popular myths about writers, suffering is integral to the creative process; if you are not in pain, you aren’t serious about your work.
For the most part, I find this notion annoying at best, downright troubling at worst. … Read more
An education blog recently published an open letter to new TFA corps members that is causing quite a stir. Here’s how Katie Osgood begins her message:
Dear New TFA Recruits,
It is summertime, which for those of you newly accepted … Read more
Two facts about ALA (true of most large librarian conferences):
(1) It is an introvert’s nightmare.
(2) It is an amazing opportunity for librarians and authors to connect.
This post is about finding ways to get around point #1 so … Read more
In the female-dominated world of YA, it’s crucial to recognize awesome books featuring male protagonists–especially when female authors have pulled off the work of imaginatively entering the inner world of the teen male.
I grabbed Split (by Swati Avasthi) on … Read more
I’m addicted to my writer’s notebooks. Have been since college. My writer’s notebook is where the ideas that matter (to my books and to my life) start percolating.
How I use the notebooks has changed over time. In fact, when I … Read more
While I’ve been indulging FAR TOO MUCH lately, it’s no holds barred today… on YA books that center on math, that is. YA Reading List is a fabulous librarian-run blog that features YA booklists around all sorts of themes… including … Read more
These days I’m doing most of my work from that “other” side of myself–the comparative literature PhD candidate side. My goal is to finish a full draft of my dissertation by early next spring, a very ambitious timeline for a … Read more
