Writers communicate their ideas through the fiction and nonfiction manuscripts we write and (hopefully) publish. We discover that the more we write, the more we learn about the craft of writing, society at large, and human nature in particular. Sometimes, we share these discoveries in essays. Those I’ve published are listed on this page. For additional thoughts about the writing life and life in general, see REFLECTIONS.
Title: The Goldilocks Question
Publication: Historical Novel Society of North America
Log line: What is the “just right” balance between history and fiction in historical fiction?
Journal: Historical Novel Society of North America
Title: Can Death Be Brought to Life?
Publication: SPILL IT! August 2023
Log line: Based on my work as an end-of-life doula, the essay describes how death, once a daily fact of life, has become a “forbidden” subject of conversation and asks whether, and how, death might be reclaimed as a normal part of life.
Journal: SPILL IT!
Title: Getting Above My Raisin’
Publication: The Blue Nib: The Write Life, July 06, 2020
Log line: The essay “Getting Above My Raisin’” looks at why writers feel they don’t merit top-tier agents or publishing contracts. Unlike “imposter syndrome,” a psychological condition whose sufferers doubt their competence, “getting above one’s raisin’” is rooted in the conviction that one is from the wrong social demographic.
Journal: The Blue Nib
Title: Theirs or Ours? Who Owns Culture? Appropriation on the Docket
Publication: SPILL IT! May 2020
Log line: Challenging charges of cultural appropriation in creative endeavors and everyday life, “Theirs or Ours? Who Owns Culture? Appropriation on the Docket” argues that culture belongs to everyone.
Journal: SPILL IT!
Title: Revival
Publication: The Blue Nib: The Write Life, May 2020
Log line: “Revival” investigates the literary and psychological reasons why writers revisit and revise very old stories they once considered finished, refuting the charge that it’s because they have nothing new to write about.
Journal: The Blue Nib: The Write Life
Title: It’s Not Your Story: Citizenship Rules for Writers Groups
Publication: Black Fox Literary Magazine, March 03, 2020
Log line: The craft essay “It’s Not Your Story: Citizenship Rules for Writers Groups” acknowledges that while some literary tenets beg to be broken, writers group etiquette rules are worth following to derive the benefits and avoid the pitfalls of membership.
Journal: Black Fox Literary Magazine
Title: Adverbicide: Must Writers Eradicate Adverbs?
Publication: The Woven Tale Press, July 18, 2019
Log line: The craft essay “Adverbicide: Must Writers Eradicate Adverbs?” challenges anti-adverb dicta by critiquing their roots and drawing on developmental psychology to help writers overcome prohibitions and inhibitions.
Journal: The Woven Tale Press
Title: The Goldilocks Question: How Much History is “Just Right” in Historical Fiction?
Publication: SPILL IT! March 2019
Log line: “The Goldilocks Question” asks how much history is “just right” in historical fiction?
Journal: SPILL IT!
Title: Free Their Inner Child: Unleashing Creativity in Young Children and Ourselves
Publication: The Artist Unleashed, February 14, 2018
Log line: Artists and writers are told to “free your inner child.” At the same time, we fret that the circuitry of screens has replaced the inner wonder of children today. Learn strategies to give young children meaningful experiences across the arts (visual, music, movement and dance, dramatic, literary, plus art appreciation) and see how play can nurture the inner child in adult artists and writers as well.
Journal: The Artists Unleashed/Vine Leaves Press
Title: The Five Percent Rule: How Much Background Detail is Essential for Authenticity in Historical Fiction?
Publication: The Artist Unleashed, August 11, 2017
Log line: Fiction writers must decide how much detail to include in their narratives. This dilemma is particularly true for those who research and write historical fiction. How much background detail is essential for authenticity; when does it become irrelevant to character and bog down plot? “The Five Percent Rule” not only addresses how much, but advises writers on what to ask in deciding what to include and when to “murder your darlings.”
Journal: The Artist Unleashed/Vine Leaves Press