Thoughts
I write a lot. Essays. Articles. Blog posts. All of them sharing what I’m thinking about. Maybe you think about these things, too.
How Kintsugi Made Me a Better Writer
Instead of trying to hide them, Kintsugi calls attention to the break lines made by time, rough use, or accident.
Sydney Riley’s Guide to Wine
These fruity red wines are delicious and easy to drink right away—and that’s what, for Sydney, good wine is all about: easy-drinking, food-loving wines that are perfect for everyday consumption.
The Apocalypse Will Be Broadcast In Slow Motion
Ah, Chernobyl. Look at images of it today. Watch the excellent HBO series. The United States’ response to the coronavirus is clearly taken from the Soviet playbook. Congratulations, tovarish.
We Are the Hurricane
What we’re not good at is realizing in this time of plague that the storm isn’t somewhere out there. That we don’t need to protect ourselves from wind and waves, but from each other. That, this time around, we are the hurricane.
Writing in a Time of Quarantine
What does the writer do? Describe the forlorn bit of newsprint one saw blowing down an empty street?
The Nonfiction Book Proposal: A Quickstart Guide
When you’re writing the proposal, you’re actually writing the book itself; the rest is just time and effort, as opposed to decisions and creativity.
What You Do... Or Who You Are?
I guess I’m the exception to that rule. I am a writer. It’s not just what I do to earn a living, it’s who I am.
Writing Classes Are Now Open!
Are you ready for something new? Let’s cap off the winter with a new writing class… everything from mysteries to grammar, from memoir to historical fiction, we have it here!
Is There Such a Thing as Writer's Block?
Most writers think they’re struggling with their writing when what they’re actually struggling with is their thinking.
Where Do Ideas Come From?
I think every author is influenced by what’s happening around them, by their own lives and the lives of others on a very daily, very granular level.
2019 in List Format
Here’s my non-exhaustive list of what’s happened this year. As always, it’s a limited tool, but an interesting one.
Murdering Victims… Thematically
Ptown is abuzz with waves of people washing in and out as though transported by the tides on our myriad beaches. Every week different faces, different attitudes, different energies flood the town.
A Different Resolution for 2020
Mostly, I’ve found, resolutions are about gaining control. Setting goals to attain, like writing a book or losing weight. Getting better at something, like being more organized or finding more prayer time. Reading more. Watching less TV. All of that? It’s about exercising control over the environment, my life, and my future.
And then this year, just over a week before Christmas, I understood exactly how little control I actually have.
If You Meet Me, Beware
I’m a shameless example. I carry a notebook with me. I eavesdrop on conversations, I peer into lighted rooms at night, I ask seemingly innocent questions of strangers.
When Mystery and History Combine
It’s not just a matter of dates; it’s a matter of a whole culture that needs to be understood.
Creativity Meditation
Sometimes in order to tap your creativity, you have to just step back and breathe.
Characters Who Are… Characters
The one thing I know I can do is keep some of it alive. Honor some of the people who lived and died here and whose lives were so meaningful to the town.
The Ghosts That Live in My Books
It’s only recently I’ve begun to think about the layers that exist everywhere, layers certain people see and others don’t.
A Very Drafty First Draft
So here I am, doing a marathon—not running, but writing. It’s less fun than it sounds… and I’m aware that it doesn’t really sound like fun.
New England Authors interview
Join Jeannette as she discusses books, writing, and Provincetown with author and publisher Kameel Nasr!