Revising: A Primer

I’m trying to revise a mess into a masterpiece. Here’s the essential components needed for revising like a pro: the marked up manuscript, a notebook, sharp pencils, a couch, a football game on yonder TV, coffee, Tylenol, Oreos, and an incorrigible house cat to periodically chomp meaningfully on the pages. If I ever write something [...]

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New Events, Etc.

I’ve got two more readings/signings planned, which are posted on the events page. I’ll also post abundant reminders to the blog as they come closer, but I’ll be at Micawbers in St. Paul on March 14 at 1:00 PM and at the Bookshelf in Wayzata on April 16 at 4:30 PM, then coming back for [...]

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Forty Years, Forty Posts #40

Well, here it is. Today I arrive at both forty years and forty posts on my life thus far. This is where I groan and say “I’m old” and shake my head, wondering how so many years could have got away from me. On the other hand, I’m pretty happy with my life right now [...]

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Why I don't mind turning forty…

In the early 1950s, Frank Sinatra was dropped by Columbia and was considered a has-been due to waning sales and shredded vocal chords. He landed at Capitol, and began a series of albums with arranger/orchestra conductor Nelson Riddle. Most people know the early teen idol Sinatra, the crooner the bobby-sock girls swooned over, or they [...]

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Forty Years, Forty Posts #39

So far I have been fairly restrained about tooting my own horn. For example, I didn’t mention that I was Time’s Person of the Year in 2006. Imagine my surprise when I saw that magazine on the newstand, with “YOU!” shouted back at me and a little ineffective mirror reflecting back my distorted face. OK, [...]

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Forty Years, Forty Posts #38

I was doing the math in my head yesterday, and this is what I came up with — if you strung together all the hours I’ve spent at the University of Minnesota, and I mean the actual hours on campus, it would come to over three years. I’ve worked at the U for 13 plus [...]

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Forty Years, Forty Posts #37

When I lived in Maine I discovered a fondness for the outdoors, though I still prefer a cabin to a tent and if the cabin has wireless internet and cable, all the better. I prefer a tame wilderness, the kind of pastoral countryside that Emerson would have rambled across before jotting down magnificent thoughts in [...]

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Forty Years, Forty Posts #36

A frequent question a writer might get is, what is the most interesting job you ever had? Hopefully the interviewee has been a whaler or a prison guard and has an interesting story to tell. Another question might be, “what is the silliest picture you have of yourself?” For me, the answer to both questions [...]

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In which I become my own favorite author…

My Favorite Author is a books blog featuring several upcoming debut authors this month, including me. Thanks for the interview, Speedy and Aubrey! Be sure to flip back a few pages and read my friend Saundra Mitchell’s interview as well.

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Forty Years, Forty Posts #35

I have the miserable fate of being someone who loves games but hates losing. I am sure I knew my destiny early, tipping a Candyland board and throwing a feverish tantrum just to demand a rematch a few minutes later. The next thirty-odd years of my life would follow the same pattern, though I learned [...]

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