Have you noticed how quickly people on the internet want to point out when you are wrong? I am amazed at some people’s need to point when you have made a mistake. If you use a word or phrase improperly, they are all over you like white on rice. And I’m not talking about the…
Anyone who has ever worked with me, in any teaching capacity, knows my first act when teaching is to get everyone to stop and breathe. Whether I am working with fourth graders or NASA scientists, I always say the following: “Before we start, I’m going to ask you all to stand on up …” and…
I’m reading Steven Pressfield’s excellent book, “The War of Art.” If you have any desire to pursue your art, run towards this book with open arms. So far, it’s amazing, validating, and oh so frustrating. Pressfield points out all the hidden places we run to keep ourselves from working on our art/craft. I’ve winced more…
Yesterday, I learned a lesson about the importance of working with the people who will best respond to your efforts. I have read a great deal about identifying your avatar and then producing and marketing to that avatar. The avatar can be defined as the ideal receiver of your product. It could be the ideal…
“Where do you get your ideas?” I heard this question asked at every author panel I attended this past Balticon. We all want to know the secret password to the wellspring, don’t we? Before I started writing fiction, I used to believe that I could never get original, smart, or exciting ideas about which to…
I’ve realized recently that everything I do involves storytelling. And I like it. I love spinning a tale and getting my audience excited to know what happens next. It is just as thrilling for me as it is for the sixth grader who can’t help but ask, “So, what happened next?” I try to do…
Yesterday, I facilitated my “Present Out Loud” workshop at Balticon (the Maryland Regional Science Fiction/Fantasy convention). The workshop is on how to present/read your work at bookstore events, interviews, audio narrations, and workshops. We worked on breath technique, voicing, characterization, and how to differentiate your narrator from your characters and their dialogue. But mostly, we…
Today, I took a deep breath and officially self-identified as a writer. It took a while. I’ve written four books, dozens of papers, a whole bunch of articles, and other pieces. And I’ve even had “writer” on my social media profile for the last couple of years. But I’ve always felt like I was wearing…
Andrew Lippa’s “I Am Anne Hutchinson” and “I Am Harvey Milk.” Whew! How to describe the show this evening. I have all sorts of superlatives I can lavish on it. Amazing, Spectacular, Magnificent – those apply. The choruses outdid themselves. And both Chenoweth and Lippa brought their A-game vocally. Really, I am used to being…