Getting close to the end of the process

As I start one new WIP, I am finishing another. It is a novel I began a very long time ago. It is hugely gratifying to finish (and humbling, too. Apparently, I am not so good at knowing when paragraphs begin and end!) Each new project offers new challenges, new discoveries, new obstacles. This one…

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Mining memories

One of the things I do when I am first envisioning a novel is mine for memories. This helps me form a new character and hone in on what I want to say in the book. It helps me figure out the emotional arc…and why the character won’t leave me alone! (that’s me playing Dolly…

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The last week of class

THANK YOU to all my students! Once again, I have learned so much!!!

It’s no secret that Presidents inspire me and my family

Last night, my son, Elliot, voted for the first time. Here is the moment when he realized: I am part of this. He has always been the history buff, the boy who knows all about Presidents. Last night, he became, in his words, an American. (And a fetcher of tissues for both of us.) “America,…

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Election Day!

Today, the baby, the presidential scholar, is old enough to vote. This morning, he said, “It will be hard to concentrate when I have this very important responsibility to take care of.” VOTE!!!!!!