by Site Owner | Apr 12, 2016 | Columns, Featured, Writers on Writing
How To Abandon the Rules and Find Your Voice When a small British press published my debut novel, I knew intellectually I hadn’t reached success. That didn’t stop me from being so emotionally stoked that it felt I had. Immediately I started writing another book. I...
by Site Owner | Mar 22, 2016 | Columns, Featured, Writers on Writing
Creating Absurdist Short Stories Absurdist short stories are fun. At least, I think so. Typically, they combine the character-driven approach of literary fiction with fanciful (weird) elements. These fanciful elements can make things more entertaining for the many who...
by Site Owner | Mar 8, 2016 | Columns, Featured, Writers on Writing
Writing Without Pronouns How to Create a Believably Androgynous Character Writing a gender-neutral character isn’t easy. Seemingly simple sentences like, “She went to get cake,” suddenly take fifteen minutes to restructure and craft into something natural and...
by Site Owner | Dec 22, 2015 | Columns, Featured, Writers on Writing
Taking an Adult Time-Out: Writing on Sabbatical There was a point in my life where I had a big house and I had enough money, but I wanted to write, travel, and surf. My then-12-year-old son (now a young adult living in Portland) looked me in the eye and asked, “If you...
by Site Owner | Dec 8, 2015 | Columns, Featured, Portland Authors, Writers on Writing
Inspiration I’ve had good luck following the advice: if you can’t find something you want – make it. This is how my first children’s book, ABC Dream, came to be. I was in need of a special gift for my growing number of friends who were becoming new parents. My...