Not really. But sometimes I forget. Sometimes, when I read his work; or when I hear the hypnotic rhythms of his voice, the way he enunciates every word without seeming to make an effort, the way he lingers on his final consonants; or when I let myself think about all the work he’s done in […]
She knew why the caged bird sings. And inspired millions with her own song. Goals status: Marathon: On Track. I missed all three of my workouts this week, but I’ll be back on the road Monday. Two Square Yards of Earth: Behind Schedule. At my current writing pace, I might not finish the manuscript by […]
Too often, we decide we can’t do the things we need to do in order to make our dreams a reality. And we go to great lengths to make sure we’re right. Status of my goals: Marathon: On Track. More or less. I’m missing three workouts this week, but I’ll get back to it next […]
I write the words I want to read, the words I can’t find anywhere except in my own head. Progress toward my goals: Marathon: On Track. Icy sidewalks kept me from running for about half this week, but I ran yesterday and I’ll run this morning after I post this. I’m claiming the victory this […]
Seth Godin read my mind. Again. Seth knows how important it is for me to force myself to ship, to put whatever is in my head out into the world where people have a chance to love it or make fun of it or ignore it. He knows it’s the shipping that’s really the point–it’s […]
You Don’t Need to Grow Your Audience. You Need This Instead. – Allison Vesterfelt. I had never heard of Allison Vesterfelt before I read the post linked above. As soon as I did, I subscribed to her blog–I knew I needed to read more of what she has to share. The post, for you TLDR […]
I recently got this question, more or less, from a young person: I feel like I’m standing on the sidelines, watching other people live their lives. How do I live my life? The question resonates with me, because I asked it of myself many, many times. By the time I was in my late thirties, […]
New Statesman | Let’s call the Isla Vista killings what they were: misogynist extremism. When I tagged this link for posting a few days ago, I wrote myself a note: I don’t know what to do with this, but it scares me to think about writing about it. That probably means I should do something […]
I can’t quote a single line of her poetry. All I know of her work is the multitude of beautiful, inspiring quotes anyone can find online. But she was undeniably a woman of great courage. A woman whose words shaped our lives for decades, and will continue to do so for decades more. We’ll miss […]
I haven’t felt very courageous lately. My book didn’t make the quarterfinals, but that wasn’t entirely surprising. A Square Foot of Calfskin was a long shot, just like every other book that entered that contest. If you’re interested, you can find the list of quarter-finalists here. No, failing is part of the game when you […]