The Juggling Writer

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A Difference in Ideas

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In Ann Patchett’s The Getaway Car: A Practical Memoir About Writing and Life (affiliate link) (my review), she mentions that she’s not particularly fond of parties. It’s at parties where it inevitably happens: somebody approaches her and says something along the lines of, “I have an idea for a book — would you like to […]

The Crystal Ball (Is a Big Maybe)

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During my 101-day social media break, I cut back on the number of blogs in my blog reader. But one category always seems to grow, despite my best intentions of taming it: my “Writing/Publishing” category. On any given day, all kinds of information comes through — much of it about the future of publishing. “E-books […]

The Company of Other Writers

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Paul Lamb recently chatted on his blog about craving fellowship with like-minded writers. For years, more every other Wednesdays than not, I met with two friends for a writing group. We kept it small by design, and while it lasted, it was a very good thing. Since the group has dissolved, I find satisfaction in […]

The Importance of Stories

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If you’ve ever doubted how important a story can be to somebody, watch this (NSFW: some swearing): The quick version of the story: A guy’s friend has terminal cancer and may be dead by June. So the guy jumps online and explains that it would mean so much if his friend could find out how […]

The End(ing)

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Graphic novels are one of my favorite things in the world. Words combined with pictures — and all that happens in between the panels — is an amazing thing. Some days I’m not sure there’s a more perfect medium. Fairly recently, I reviewed Craig Thompson’s Habibi, which — to me — is the perfect graphic […]

What Is Your Reason for Writing?

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I’m lucky to be friends with some good writers, all of whom see writing a little differently. One friend doesn’t get as attached to his stories as most people I know. For him, he just sits down and produces. Like a machine. If an editor suggests changes, he’s like, “Sure — whatever you want.” He […]

Win a Copy of A Good American

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I recently interviewed Alex George about his new book, A Good American. Maybe you’ve heard about the book or seen it on the shelves in bookstores. Or maybe this is the first time you’ve heard about it and you’re wondering what it’s about. This description is straight from the author’s mouth (okay, straight from his […]

In Defense of Quirky

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I’ve recently mentioned the book I’m currently working on, A Magic Life. A couple people have emailed to ask what’s been happening with the novel I wrote before starting A Magic Life. That novel is called Promise, and I’m currently shopping it around to agents. The general feeling from the rejections I’ve received so far […]

Writing Down the Dream

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Since the Paris Review put all their author interviews online, there’s no reason for a writer to ever be bored. I love reading interviews at night, before sliding off to Dreamville. The other night before going to sleep, I read this interview with Haruki Murakami. If you’ve never read a Murakami novel, the best way […]

In the Shadow of February

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Sometime this morning, after a groundhog tells us all what to expect for the rest of the winter, an armadillo will leave its burrow down here and the message will be: “It’s Texas — who the hell knows what to expect!” It’s been in the mid 70s, lately. While winter in Texas is much different […]